


A Champion's Love

by PennilessOptimist



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Cough totally original idea, Eventual smut maybeee???, F/M, First few chapters are just from the game tbh, Fish hubby, Fluff, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Love, Post-calamity ganon hyrule, Reader IS link??, Reader is the Hylian champion/Zelda's knight, Romance, Sidon's awesome y'all, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, There's no link in this universe whoops, dunno where this is going, we all love him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:38:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 51,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennilessOptimist/pseuds/PennilessOptimist
Summary: You are the Hylian champion, chosen to be so a century ago. Waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection is a shock, but having no memories to go along with that isn't helping. You listen to the stories you're told, though. You need to save Hyrule, and the Princess. Those you meet along the way will be of great help to you. And some of these friends you make will do more than just guide you along your journey... much more.TL;DR: There is no Link lol. You a r e Link. But, y'know, a girl.





	1. Newfound Regions

**Author's Note:**

> Super duper original idea for a reader insert where the reader is just Link... but a girllllllllll. Who falls in love with Sidon. But aren't we all in love with Sidon? I think yes.
> 
> Warning: First few chapters might be boring, they use dialogue from the game with some other stuff sprinkled in. After these first few it will be a post-calamity ganon Hyrule, and that's where the r e a l fun starts.
> 
> Enjoy.

You huffed as you reached the peak of the tall hills north of Lantern Lake, just above Kakariko village. You’d just finished talking with Impa again, who told you the story of the champions fight again Calamity Ganon, and who instructed you to seek out the four Divine Beasts.

 

This whole situation was still just… wild. And bizarre. You wake up in some pool with no recollection of anything beforehand. The voice of some girl starts speaking to you and she somehow knows your name and you receive this tablet called the Sheikah Slate. After a few days of working alongside an old man on the Great Plateau and figuring out these shrine puzzles, the old man reveals himself to be the spirit of the dead King of Hyrule. Next thing you now you’re traveling through the region, fending off Bokoblins and scavenging to stay alive. And now you’re being told you’re some hero? Some magnificent champion here to save the land, yet none of it makes sense to you.

 

You still don’t remember anything.

 

That crestfallen look on Impa’s face when you revealed to her that you had no memories of her was still at the back of your mind. You really had been gone for a century… but why had you been put to sleep? What led to all of this? Why hadn’t you beaten Calamity Ganon before, if what the King and what Impa said was true you should have been prepared. Yet Ganon had still somehow overpowered you. He had overpowered _all_ of you.

 

Pushing those thoughts from your head, you unclipped the Sheikah slate from your belt and checked your map. The nearest of the four points seemed to be north-east of Kakariko village. Looking up from the slate, you surveyed the land. You could see a vast wetland, and besides that some mountains. None of it was charted on your slate though, you’d have to climb a tower for the map.  
  
You found yourself wishing you had brought your horse along. You’d have to wade through all of that land, fighting who knows what. _‘Well… no turning back now,’_ you mused in your head, strapping on some climbing gear you’d acquired in a shrine before spreading open your paraglider and flying over the grassy terrain.

 

…

 

After some trials and tribulation, specifically a rather _nosy_ ice Wizzrobe, you had scaled the tower. Inputting the slate into the guidance stone, you watched the blue runes trickle down, before implanting new map data. Taking out the slate, you gave the map a good look over. _‘Lanayru tower, huh? Lanayru wetlands to the south-west, Lanayru sea to the east, and… oh, Zora’s Domain!’_ you thought excitedly to yourself. The glowing yellow point you were heading to was smack-dab in the middle of the Zora’s Domain on the map.

 

You jumped a bit at the sound of a voice behind you. “Wow! I cannot believe it!” Spinning on your heel, you were a bit shocked to see someone on the tower. ‘ _Guess I missed him on the way up.’_ Upon closer inspection though, you were surprised to see _what_ he was. A tall… blue… fish-person?  
  
He cleared his throat before speaking once more. “Excuse me! Yes, you! I am Gruve of the Zora!” _‘So are all the Zora gonna be fish-people? Interesting,’_ “It is apparent that you are a traveler, but may I ask what brought you here?” he inquired.

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” you replied with a smile, raising an eyebrow. You were extremely curious as to why he was up here on one of the Sheikah Towers. “Hm… how astute of you! An excellent query indeed!” _‘Are all Zora also this excitable and happy in conversation?’_

 

“I, by the order of Prince Sidon of Zora’s Domain, am searching for a Hylian. Or I was… but then I fell asleep. I awoke to a loud noise and awful quaking, and now here I am. I’d like to get down and be on my way, but I’m simply to high up. I need to figure something out.” he explained, and you nodded your head as you listened to the story. _‘So he’s been stuck up here since I’ve been up on the Great Plateau? Poor guy…’_

 

“Prince Sidon is down at the bridge below, but for some reason I cannot seem to catch his attention!” he continued on, and you glanced over the side of the tower to see a bridge down below, shrouded in mist and rain. “We’re probably too high up for him to hear you,” you decided, turning to look back at Gruve.

 

“Yes, you may be right… but you! You are a Hylian, yes?!” he exclaimed, grinning at you, and you quickly nodded your head to say yes, smiling at his excitable demeanor. “Well then! My luck is improving!” he said, and peered over the side of the tower so quickly you thought he was almost going to fall off. “Prince Sidon! I found one! I FOUND A HYLIAN!” he screamed, nearly blowing your ears out.  
  
Leaning over, you squint your eyes to try and look down at the bridge. You could see a very, extremely faint red blob… but it was hard to make out if that was a person or not due to the rain.  
  
“Hmm…” Gruve sighed, pulling his body away from the edge, “Prince Sidon doesn’t seem to notice my struggle… Perhaps I should swallow my fear and jump into the river below. Then I could return to him! He must be worried sick…” he mumbled, mostly speaking to himself and not you.

 

You watched him for a few curious seconds, wanting to know if he’d go through with that plan or not. “No! Nope! Can’t do it! I’m too high up. I’ll likely meet the gods of the ever after before I ever see Prince Sidon again…” he muttered, before turning to face you with a sincere expression.

 

“Ms. Hylian, I must apologize…” he continued on, and you bristled a little at being called ‘Ms. Hylian’. “It will be some time before I can get back to Prince Sidon. Please, you must leave me here and go on ahead.”

 

You nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m alright with that. Here, you want a Hyrule bass? I caught plenty, but it’s not cooked, though,” you offered, looking into the bag before pulling out the fish you had wrapped in a korok leaf. “Oh yes, please! Thank you so much, Ms….?” he exclaimed, taking the fish in his hands and looking down at you curiously.  
  
“_____. My name’s _____.” you told him with a grin, before shutting your bag and strapping it over your shoulder. Stepping onto the ridge at the edge of the tower top, you watched his eyes grow wide as he watched you.

 

With a grin, you hopped off the edge and spread your paraglider open, enjoying the feel of the wind rushing past as you head for the glowing bridge below.


	2. An Excitable Zora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally meeting Big Red! The big guy! The one we're all here for! Fuck yea!

Your boots made a soft pitter patter on the wet grass once you landed. Folding the paraglider back in, you tucked it away before looking around. The rain was beginning to soak through your clothes, but you just hoped everything in your bag would be intact. 

 

Focusing your attention on the bridge before you, you unhooked the Sheikah Slate from your belt, curious to know the area you were now in.  _ ‘Inogo Bridge, crossing over the Zora river. Yup this is the right place,’   _ you mused, before hooking the slate to your belt again.

 

Looking around the area, you couldn’t seem to see anyone.  _ ‘Where is this Sidon guy?’ _ Taking a few steps towards the bridge, you stopped in your tracks at the sound of a voice calling out to you.

 

“Say, hey there! Young one!” 

 

You spun around, searching for the source of the voice, confused.  _ ‘Where- hold on, young? I’m over a hundred years old!!’ _

 

“Up top! Above you!”

 

Glancing up, you watched in awe as a red Zora jumped off of one of the bridge’s lookout points and land flawlessly in front of you. He towered over you. You stared up at him curiously, taking in his features. The main things that stood out to you where the hammer-head… well, head, and the attire he was decked out in. Jewelry adorned his body along, with a plume on his head. 

 

So this was the prince of the Zora.  _ ‘He feels familiar… why do I feel like I’ve seen him before…?’ _ you wondered, a bit lost in your thoughts as you looked him over.

 

“Pardon the entrance, but you’re a Hylian, aren’t you? I was hoping perhaps you’d have a moment to talk,” he explained, and you quickly shook your head yes, just as you had done with Gruve up on Lanaryu tower. 

 

“Aha! A Hylian! Yes, I knew it!” he exclaimed happily, which only confirmed your thoughts from earlier that all Zora seemed to be excitable in conversation. “Oh, pardon me… I am Sidon, the Zora Prince!” he grinned, striking a bit of a silly pose that made you smile, and you could’ve sworn you even saw a sparkle in his sharp… sharp teeth.

 

“And what is your name? Go on, please tell me!” he inquired, and just from his demeanor it was clear he genuinely did want to know you and wasn’t just doing this for formality’s sake.   
  
“Uhh- _-_____. I’m _____” you answered, cursing yourself for the stammering. You felt your cheeks grow warm out of embarrassment but quickly ignored that, trying to stay focused on the conversation.   
  
“_____? Your name is _____?! What a fantastic name!” he complimented, which caused you to blush a bit more. “Oh, it’s not that special,” you laughed slightly, putting your hands on your belt and fidgeting with the fabric of your shirt absentmindedly. 

 

He seemed to be looking at you a bit more intrinsically and you looked around awkwardly, not knowing why. “Hmm, though I cannot shake the feeling that I have heard it somewhere before…” he continued, putting his hand to his chin as he seemingly thought about it.  _ ‘Maybe in a story or something… possibly about the champions. But he can’t possibly be over a hundred years old,’  _

 

“Well, in any case, it is a strong name! To be honest, I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen the way you work. I can tell by how you carry yourself that you are no ordinary person.” he concluded, smiling at you.  _ ‘I’ll ignore the fact that he’s apparently been watching me… for now’ _

 

“_____! You must be a strong warrior among the Hylians, correct?!” he asked, and you took a moment to mull the question over in your mind. “Uhh… sure?” you answered, a bit unsure of yourself.  _ ‘A hundred years ago I probably would have answered that with confident certainty… now though… hmm…’ _

 

“Aha! Just as I suspected! I am a Zora prince, after all. I have an eye for talent that is unparalleled! Yes! Exquisite! I have been searching for someone like you for a long while. A woman like you, _____, who carries herself with power!” he gushed, just as excited as earlier. Now you were really blushing though. All the compliments were making your cheeks burn despite the cold rain coming down on the two of you.

 

He explained the current issue at hand to you briefly. One of the Divine Beasts, Vah Ruta, was causing trouble in their land by causing a constant downfall. You pondered momentarily that that wouldn’t be much of an issue for the Zora, they are fish-people after all. But once you considered the future ramifications this would cause, you realized how devastating this could be.   
  
So that was only added purpose to gaining control of the Divine Beast once more. Beat Ganon, and save the lives of a whole civilization.   
  
You had zoned out momentarily while thinking of all of this and were only pulled back to reality when you realized Sidon had asked you a question and was looking down at you, expecting an answer.   
  
“Sorry, repeat the question? I got distracted,” you apologized, embarrassed that you had spaced out as bad as you did.

 

Sidon chuckled a bit, clearly amused by your apparent shyness. “I asked if you would come back to Zora’s Domain with me? To overcome Vah Ruta!” he clarified, bearing a confident smile as he spoke.   
  
“Of course I will,” you smiled, a strong want to help those in need sparked inside of you.

 

Sidon thanked you immensely, taking your hands into his own and shaking them gratefully. You were a little caught off guard by the texture of his hands. His scales were flat and smooth and slick, likely from the constant rain. He had a look of realization on his face when he noticed he might’ve held them for too long and quickly let them go.

 

The two of you briefly discussed how you’d have to traverse the area- due to the rain you wouldn’t be able to scale the cliffs. You’d be forced to follow the path the Zora had carved, and though it was convenient, it winded around the river and was likely to be crowded with monsters, likely electric ones due to the weather.

 

Once you were done going over the plan, Sidon stood up straight and struck that pose of his once more. “Don’t give up! I believe in you!” he exclaimed, and had a peculiar look on his face when he suddenly remembered something. “Oh! That’s right! I have something I would like to give you! This is just a small trinket to show that I have faith in you,” he informed you, reaching into a pouch and pulling out a small vial of yellow-green liquid - an electro elixir.  _ ‘Huh, convenient.’ _

 

He explained that the elixir’s effects seemingly don’t work on the Zora themselves, so he’s never been able to use it until now. The two of you bid your goodbyes, Sidon letting you know he’d swim upstream to make sure the path was clear for you. Then he sprung backward, doing a spectacular flip into the water.

 

You laughed a bit watching his red form shoot through the river and head up the small waterfall.  _ ‘What a show-off… a genuine, nice show-off though,’ _ you mused, smiling a bit before turning back to the bridge. You prepared yourself, broadsword you’d managed to scavenge in hand, before setting off to Zora’s Domain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I got this game like two weeks ago and I am o b s e s s e d. Clocked in nearly a hundred hours already. Got all four divine beasts but I ain't going to calamity ganon yet cause fuckkk that shit. I got korok seeds to find I ain't putting up with ganon's shit yet, nuh uh.


	3. Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some development. Our Hylian Champion learning more of the situation at hand

The journey to Zora’s Domain was a bit grueling. Every corner you turned there was some Lizalfos trying to spear you, part of the road was decked with stupid Octorocks trying to shoot at you, and at some point on one of the higher bridges a black Moblin had come out of nowhere to attempt to surprise attack you.

 

Luckily though, Sidon had been speaking to you in that instant and managed to warn you in time. In fact, Sidon had been shown up many times along the way to reassure you. The constant encouragement was doing wonders for you confidence, and you were rather starting to like his cheery and upbeat demeanor.

 

You checked the map on your Sheikah Slate frequently to make sure you weren’t straying from the path. At one point you were walking up one of the higher points of the path, near a dam called the East Reservoir Lake. You could see a spout shooting up in the distance- and you couldn’t tell if it was some kind of steam or mist or what.

 

Pulling yourself up over the rocks, you looked over and gasped at what you saw. Something big was submerged in the dam’s water. You could see part of its body, clearly something man-made, with whirring, red-glowing parts. A large spout, almost like a trunk was coming up out of the water, shooting a furious and constant stream of water up into the sky.

 

_‘That’s the Divine Beast Vah Ruta… that’s what’s causing all the rain. That is much bigger than what I was imagining’_

 

You had a bit of a realization. The scope of the situation at hand and what was truly at stake. When you continued on the path to Zora’s Domain, you found your feet going at a quicker pace than beforehand.

 

…

 

Before long you found yourself walking along the Great Zora Bridge, and looking around in awe at the region before you. The architecture was astounding- it had been built using many luminous stones, no doubt. The massive fish statue at the top intimidated you just a tad. The whole place was just so… grandiose. And somehow it fit Sidon perfectly.

 

At the end of the bridge you made your way up the small set of stairs, holding onto the railing to avoid slipping as the entire place was just… covered in water, understandably.

 

You smiled at the sight of Sidon running over to greet you, walking through the arched entryway which was flanked on either side by a Zora guard. “Whoa! I’ve been waiting for you, _____!” he exclaimed bombastically, striking his signature pose as you took the few extra steps to approach you. The two guards beside him both smiled a bit, clearly amused with the Prince’s peppy behavior.

 

“Welcome! Behold the pride of my people, Zora’s Domain! Now I shall introduce you to the king. Hurry, this way!” he explained, before turning and heading up a tall staircase. You could only assume the king was somewhere beneath that large fish sculpture, it seemed to be a centerpiece of the area.

 

Passing by the two guards who both offered you quaint hellos, you made your way through the plaza, passing by kid Zora’s who were running around a statue excitedly. You paused in front of the statue before heading up the stairs though… something about it seemed to draw you in.

 

It was a tall statue of a gorgeous Zora woman. She held a meticulously carved trident in her hands, and looked down at you with an expression of sweet sincerity… and almost care. Whoever carved the statue must’ve been quite fond of the woman in portrayed. She also looked a bit like Sidon, but you weren't sure if you were imagining that. Perhaps she was an ancestor of his, his mother or grandmother, or something.

 

You couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something that felt familiar about her though. You knew it was more than just the resemblance to Sidon. _‘Did I know her a hundred years ago? From before the calamity?’_

 

You managed to tear you eyes away from the statue and walked up the right staircase, up to the next floor. At the top of the staircase you could see an elder Zora… shocking himself repeatedly with a shock arrow. Concerned, you walked up the steps towards him and could hear him speaking- rambling to himself.

 

“KYAHHH! Lady Mipha! Watch THIS! I, Seggin, the aptly named Demon Sergeant, shall strike down the Divine Beast Vah Ruta!” he ranted, standing over the shock arrow victoriously as though it were a monster to be slain.

 

You cleared your throat and leaned over to try and catch his attention. “Um, whatcha doin’?” you asked curiously, a bit concerned for his well-being. After what Sidon had told you about the Zora and electricity you wanted to make sure this man wasn’t going to hurt himself.

 

The elder Zora turned to you and visibly jumped, clearly quite surprised by your presence. His expression then turned to one of anger, however. “You… you’re _____! Finally, I can avenge Lady Mipha!” he exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at you, “It has been a hundred years since you last showed your face here! Now I, Seggin, will cut you down myself!”

 

“What, uh… what do you mean?” you asked, clearly quite confused. A pair of guards who flanked the upper staircases were watching the scene unfold before them, and you quickly wanted to diffuse this before anything drastic happened.  
  
“Playing dumb, eh?! Nice try, but you cannot fool me, Champion _____! You were unable to protect Lady Mipha from Calamity Ganon! It has been a hundred years since we lost her… poor Lady Mipha… how heartbreaking…” he went on, continuing this angry rant but growing a bit sadder now.

 

 _‘This Lady Mipha must’ve been a very important Zora… but he speaks as though it’s directly my fault that she passed on… that can’t be true, right?’_ you thought, crossing your arms as you watched Seggin look away from you, his expression now distraught.

 

Your lack of memories from a hundred years ago was starting to heavily annoy you. You wanted to remember what happened. You want to know who this Lady Mipha was so you could console this elder Zora who’s still very broken up about what happened even a century later.

 

You plucked up your courage and captured his attention once more. “I won’t fail her again. I won’t fail any of the Zora again,” you stated confidently, though Seggin didn’t seem at all reassured.

 

“Hmph! There is no way we could ask for your help now, after all this time and after all that has happened! So says I, Seggin, the Demon Sergeant! Even if this body of mine is destroyed… I will drown Ruta in shock arrows myself! And in doing so, Lady Mipha’s regrets shall be alleviated,” he concluded, looking down at you with an expression of pure distaste… and almost hatred. It was a look that unsettled you greatly.

 

He turned back to his shock arrow, before quickly doubling back to make a final statement. “If you understand anything of courage, then get out of my way at once!”

 

You nodded your head glumly and stepped up the rest of the stairs. The two guards who had been listening in quickly returned to their stoic posts. You heard Seggin resume his touching of the shock arrow, and you considered taking it so he wouldn’t hurt himself, but decided against it, he probably wanted to be left alone.

  
Instead you turned to the massive staircase in front of you, split on either side around a statue of the Goddess Hylia. Pausing in front of the statue, you gulped nervously, feeling the weight of the situation on your shoulders once more.   
  
‘Goddess give me strength,’ you prayed in your mind, before ascending up the staircase towards the king.


	4. A Royal Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the king! Big Blue! Future father in law? Who knows! I mean I do, I'm the author, but y'know ;p
> 
> Also, you learn more about Vah Ruta, I guessss that's important too

On your way up the staircase, you had some questions in your mind. What was the king like? Does he look like Sidon? Is he as kind as Sidon? And after that run in with Seggin earlier, you were just hoping that he didn’t hold a grudge against you after something that occurred a hundred years ago which you still didn’t even remember.

 

Arriving at the top of the stairs though, your eyes went a little wide at the sight. A tall Zora, at least three times Sidon’s height, was sat in a throne submerged in a small pool. His scales were a stark navy blue, quite the opposite of Sidon’s, which contrasted with the bright red sash tied around him. He wore jewelry and accessories quite similar to Sidon’s- the silver braces around his neck, and arms, and the tail that sprouted from the back of his head, the golden ropes, the blue jewels.

 

He seemed to be in a conversation with Sidon and a shorter, elder Zora as you entered the throne room. The sound of your boots on the on the smooth cut flooring drew the attention of all three, stopping their conversation. As you walked forward to stand before the king himself, Sidon offered you a pure-hearted smile, clearly one of encouragement. The elder Zora across from him merely scowled at your presence, though.

 

Stepping up onto a small pedestal, you looked up at the king as he gazed down at you. _‘Should I bow… state my name and purpose? How do I go about this respectfully?’_ you wondered, but before you had a chance to try anything the king began to speak, his voice clear and easily heard due to his sheer size.

 

“Ah. You must be the Hylian that Sidon brought here, correct? You did well to come all the way here! I am King Dorephan, ruler of the Zora.” he introduced himself, offering a smile as though he could sense how nervous you were. He suddenly became very intrigued and bent down a bit when his eyes caught something on your person. “Hm? That object upon your waist… is that not a Sheikah Slate?!”

 

“Yes sir, it is,” you replied in confirmation, nodding your head. King Dorephan then had a look of knowing on his face, and both Sidon and the elder Zora had a look of realization, which greatly confused you.

 

“Now that I have gotten a good look at you, it is all too clear who you are… You are the Hylian Champion, _____!” he grinned, before pausing for a moment as though he were thinking. “... Do not tell me you have forgotten me, _____…” He wore a similar look like the one that Impa had on her face back in Kakariko after you’d confessed you didn’t remember her.

 

“The Hylian Champion?” Sidon interjected, an astonished look on his face, “You can’t mean THE _____? THAT Champion?! So that’s where I have heard your name before! What a fateful coincidence that we would cross paths!”

 

“I cannot believe it. The Hylian Champion, _____, has appeared before us… we have met numerous times, I'll have you know.” King Dorephan mused thoughtfully, sitting back into his throne, “Ah… so many memories! My mind is overflowing with nostalgia, my friend. I had heard a terrible rumor that you had fallen in combat, but it appears that you have managed to survive. Extraordinary!”

 

You shuffled your feet at the mention of that. It still miffed you that you were still unaware of whatever accident occurred that wounded you bad enough for a century-long restoration. “I’ve been asleep since then, your majesty, it was the only way to save me. But… I’ve lost all my memories,” you explained to them, rubbing the back on your neck with your hand in an attempt to soothe your nerves.

 

A look of confusion crossed over the king’s face, and he leaned down as he spoke, “Come again? You say you have lost your memory? But surely you must remember my precious daughter, Mipha, yes? You do, do you not?” he questioned, and you froze up on the spot, a sense of guilt filling you.

 

You cleared your throat, before slowly shaking your head no. And there again were those crestfallen expressions you were beginning to get used to at the mention of your lack of memories. “No… I’m sorry, I can’t recall her.”

 

“I cannot believe it… have you truly forgotten my dear Mipha as well? You and Mipha were so close… yet you do not remember her?” he asked, and the questions were only weighing down on you more and more, “Young hero… please look upon the beauty of Zora’s Domain.” he continued, moving his head in such a way that he gestured out to the plaza.

 

You turned, and when looking out from the throne room you were able to see the entrance of the Domain and part of the statue of the Zora woman you had been looking at earlier. Piecing together the clues in your mind, you figured that that statue must’ve been of Lady Mipha. _‘No wonder I was so distracted by it earlier… she is someone from my past.’_

 

“Do you see that statue? Does gazing upon Mipha’s immortalized form still not jog your memory?” King Dorephan continued on, his voice now edged with a more saddened tone. You shook your head no again as you turned to look back at him, and he sighed heavily, regarding you with a more inquisitive look, “Well, perhaps your memory will return in time. I dearly hope so.”

 

Sidon took a step forward to join the conversation again, your eyes meeting his as he gave you a sympathetic look before he turned to the king. “Father… I do not believe discussing my sister is helping matters at the moment. _____ seems confused.” he suggested, and you quietly thanked him for that.

 

King Dorephan nodded and smiled at his son, “Oh? Yes, of course. But first, it is worth noting how remarkable it is that Sidon brought a Champion here without realizing it! That is quite a feat, my boy!” the king chuckled, making Sidon blush a bit as he grinned at you. _‘He’s kind of cute when he blushes… wait, what am I thinking, that’s totally inappropriate-’_ you thought, chastising yourself for letting your mind stray that way.

 

“_____, I doubt not that you have endured a great many trials. Still, I must ask you to hear my plea.” King Dorephan said, his voice now a more serious tone as he drew your attention back to him, “Now then. Hero… I must inform you that Zora’s Domain is in danger of vanishing because of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. I shall do you the courtesy of speaking bluntly. We alone cannot stop this beast. Will you lend us your strength?” he inquired, and right before you could answer with a resounding yes, you were interrupted.

 

“What?!” a voice cried, and you turned to see it was the elder Zora who had been standing silently all this time, “King Dorephan! My liege! Please do not speak so! To ask a Hylian for help… why, the very thought of it curls my fins!” ‘ _Oh… so he’s like Seggin. Lovely.’_

 

King Dorephan shook his head at the elder Zora’s protests, “Muzu, I expected more of you. How can you still protest?”

 

Sidon, however, looked much more upset than his father. “Muzu! It is rude to speak that way to your king and his guest. _____ is here because I invited her! With such unprecedented rainfall, we have no choice but to rely on the aid of a trustworthy Hylian. Have we not already discussed this and arrived at that very conclusion?” he retaliated, though his voice softened as he turned to look at you, “She is the key to saving Zora’s Domain. I have no doubt in my mind.”

 

The king had been nodding his head as his son spoke, clearly agreeing with every point the prince laid down. “Indeed! _____ is a Champion, through and through. As things now stand, Zora’s Domain… Nay! Perhaps all of Hyrule is doomed to be swallowed by the sea. This is bigger than all of us, my friend. Zora and Hylians alike must put aside our differences and band together.” he declared in a level-headed tone, yet Muzu could still not see eye to eye with him.

 

“Have you forgotten already, my king?! We cannot trust these lowly Hylians!” he fumed, and your face screwed up a bit at that. _‘Lowly?’_ “A hundred years ago, they abused the power of an ancient civilization and turned Hyrule into what it is today! And that is not the least of it!” he continued, his fists visibly shaking in anger. He paused though, folding his hands behind his back as he turned to face the floor sadly. “It is their fault that Lady Mipha was lost to us…”

 

Everyone in the room remained silent for a few still moments once he was done talking. With concern on your face you turned to look back at Sidon, and while you could tell he was still upset with Muzu’s comments on Hylians, you could see the sympathy in him as well. Everyone seemed to be able to sympathize with Muzu’s sadness over the loss of Mipha.

 

Breaking the silence, however, King Dorephan spoke again. “_____… Divine Beast Vah Ruta has great power. It has the unique ability to create an endless supply of water. Of late it has been mercilessly spouting water into the air. As a result, this area has been plagued by heavy rains. For us Zora, water and air are as one, so you would not think this would be quite so critical of a problem. Sadly, the rains have filled the eastern reservoir nearly to the point of flooding. If the reservoir bursts, as it soon will, I fear immense damage will befall not only Zora’s Domain, but also the area downstream for us. There, Hylian lives are in very grave danger-” he explained, but was cut off by a loud rumbling and trumpeting noise.

 

You turned, and it was very clear where the noise came from. To the east of the kingdom where the reservoir stood, the spout was visible high up in the distance, coming straight from the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

 

“Hmm… the Divine Beast is crying out once again…” King Dorephan murmured as you turned back to look at him, “The Divine Beast Vah Ruta… your princess, Zelda, often studied the Divine Beasts. That is, in the time before the Great Calamity. According to her research, the orbs located on Ruta’s shoulders are mechanisms that can control the water it generates. However, they require electricity to work. These orbs are clearly out of control now because there is no electricity coursing through to stop them.”

 

“Seggin, who is quite shock resistant for a Zora, hit one with a shock arrow. Sure enough, it slowed the water a bit. Unfortunately, as I explained to you earlier, we Zora are terribly vulnerable to the power of electricity. Perhaps because we could not safely strike it with enough electricity at once, the water soon returned to its full force.” Sidon interjected, offering you a smile as he spoke, “That is why I went in search of a Hylian who could help us! _____, I am certain you have already figured this out, but we need you to use shock arrows to get those orbs working properly again! I will aid you in any way I can, of course. Please, hero… I beg of you. Help me stop Ruta’s rampage of destruction!”

 

All three of them were looking at you now, expectant looks on their faces. You stepped back, feeling awkward where you stood with all the sudden attention. “I, um…” you mumbled nervously, unsure of how to properly answer. It was such a daunting task. You weren’t sure if you were prepared for it yet. You wanted to help, you truly did, but it almost seemed like too much.

 

Screwing up your courage though, you explained what Zelda had managed to explain to you days previously through her spirit; how boarding the Divine Beasts would help in reclaiming them from Ganon.

 

“What?!” King Dorephan asked, clearly quite curious, “Princess Zelda herself instructed you to board the Divine Beast and appease it from within? So then… Princess Zelda is still alive?”

 

You nodded your head, “Yes. In Hyrule Castle. I believe she’s been alive this whole time keeping Calamity Ganon contained,” you explained to them, watching a look of astonishment settle on the king’s face.

 

“I do not believe it… she was alive this whole time, just as you were! The events of a hundred years ago cannot be altered, it is true. But if we can regain control of the Divine Beasts… they may yet prove useful in sealing Calamity Ganon once and for all!” he realized, nodding his head, clearly approving of the plan.

 

Sidon turned to you, with a look of curious consideration, “I did not know you had such grand ambitions, _____…” he murmured, before breaking out into a confident grin, “Wondrous! Naturally, I shall help too! Once it has stopped rampaging, you can easily climb inside it. Come, _____! Let us appease Ruta together!”

 

His sheer excited and confident nature was beginning to rub off on you, and it almost eased you into the task at hand. “I’m in. Let’s do this!” you agreed, giving him a smile just a bright as the ones he gave you. He seemed to appreciate the gesture.

 

King Dorephan had been watching the two of you, clearly quite pleased you seemed to be getting along well already. “Thank you, _____. Truly. We are in your debt. Our goal is the same. That means our meeting was nothing short of destiny. Now then, allow me to offer you this gift as a show of faith.”

 

A pale blue Zora, presumably a servant of the royal family, walked over holding a chest when King Dorephan beckoned him. You reached out and popped open the lock on the silver chest, and gasped at what was inside. Pulling it out, you marveled at the armor you had just been handed. It was a gorgeous, deep blue with silver encrusted designs melded into it. The sleeves and back had scale decals, and the gloves and neckline had intricate blue crystals and even luminous stones embedded into it, and judging by how it felt in your hands, it felt as though it would fit you perfectly once put on.

 

“T-thank you, your majesty,” you quickly said once looking the armor over, a bit caught off guard by such a gift but by no means complaining.

 

“So long as you wear this, you can ascend waterfalls just like a Zora,” the king explained, “Please, take good care of it.”

 

Once again though, Muzu interrupted. “King Dorephan!! Surely you do not really intend to give this outsider the Zora armor! Countless generations of Zora princesses have gifted that armor to the one they have sworn to marry!” he complained, and this caught you for a loop. _‘... What? A gifted declaration of marriage? I can’t- I can’t accept this now... can I?’_

 

“Princess Mipha made that one there with her own hands! It is far too important to entrust to a shady Hylian! She may be a Champion, but Mipha had no such relationship with her. So why should SHE receive such an honor? This is just too much, my liege! I do not understand it one bit!” he exclaimed, before storming off out of the throne room and descending one of the staircases.

 

The three of you watched him leave before King Dorephan decided to speak, “Hmph. That Muzu is not easily swayed once his mind is set. You must understand… he was in charge of educating my dear daughter, Mipha. Naturally, she means a lot to him… just as she means the world to us. Ever since we lost her to the Calamity, he has grown to despise Hylians. I hope you can forgive his rudeness… but what shall we do now? I tasked Muzu with finding the shock arrows we will need to appease Vah Ruta. But now he has rushed off in a huff…”

 

“_____! Do not let his words concern you, I will work this out with Muzu. I shall return shortly!” Sidon declared, and you turned to watch him run out of the throne room to follow Muzu.

 

“Sidon… I suppose that means you are going to tell him…” King Dorephan sighed behind you, before raising his voice to speak directly to you, “_____, Muzu is most likely at the square down below. Would you mind going down there? I would like you to try and speak to him.”

 

You nodded your head before stepping out of the throne room, looking down at the armor you held in your hands. Curious, you pulled it on, pulling it over your head and fitting the armbands and gloves correctly. Miraculously, it fit you… perfectly. _‘It’s almost like Mipha made this… for me?’_

 

Getting back down to the plaza below, you could see Sidon and Muzu standing before the statue of Mipha, stuck in a tense argument. Stepping up to the two of them, you cleared your throat to catch their attention. Sidon quickly stopped what he was saying to look down at you, and it seemed as though the sight of you in the Zora armor had caught him a bit off guard.  
  
Muzu however was not nearly as impressed. “Hmph. You came all the way here, but it was in vain. I have no desire to speak with you.” he grumbled, not even bothering to look your way as he spoke.

 

“Listen well, Muzu. There is something you need to know.” Sidon slowly said, in a more serious tone than he normally used, “She who stands here… the woman called _____… is the one whom my sister, Mipha, had feelings for. I was only a child then, so I did not know it myself at the time. But it is so. I grew up hearing my father tell stories, some of which were about my sister’s undying love for a Hylian named _____.”

 

You were staring up at Sidon with wide eyes as he explained. _‘A princess? His sister, in love with me? I- what?’_

 

“What?! No,” Muzu protested, and you almost agreed with him this time, “You cannot fool me with such a fanciful lie. Not this Zora! How could Lady Mipha possibly have feelings for a Hylian like her?! The facts are clear. She remembers nothing. Even when she looks upon Princess Mipha’s statue.”

 

“It is the truth, Muzu,” Sidon argued, “Though you never knew it, she was ever in Mipha’s heart.”

 

You gazed up at the statue of Mipha as Sidon spoke, his words growing somewhat distant as you focused less on less on the conversation. This time when you looked at the statue, something else clicked in your mind. Suddenly Mipha’s face looked more and more familiar than before. Something sparked in your thoughts, and you were pulled from the moment at hand when a memory came to the forefront of your mind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a loooooong one. So much dialogue, I forgot they talked this much lol


	5. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A memory? OooOOooOoooOOooO
> 
> Also trying to get through to old man Muzu. He'll have to like us eventually, right?

A hazy scene appeared in your mind. A lake… mountains… grassy plains and rivers far out in the distance. You were slowly moving upwards. You were… sat on a platform? Some kind of mechanical one. You remembered it as the end of Vah Ruta’s trunk.

 

You remembered a stinging pain in your arm and remembered three deep slashes, though where those slashes came from was an unknown detail. A moblin? Lizalfos? Who knew. Clearly not you, with the lack of further memories.

 

Beside you was a girl. A Zora woman. She was short, shorter than you. Bright red scales, a rounded crest on her head. Adorned in blue jewels and silver bands with a blue sash strapped around her torso. She had deep, emotional yellow eyes. A bright blue light was coming from her hand as she ran it across the slashes in your right arm.

 

You miraculously remembered some of the words being said.

 

“I was thinking,” she spoke in a soft tone, one that somehow perfectly matched her looks and demeanor, “this reminds me of the time we first met. You were just a reckless child… always getting yourself hurt at every turn.”  
  
She paused her speech to turn her gaze up to you, a shy smile gracing her lips before she looked back down at your wounds. “Every time I would heal you, just as I am doing right now. I thought it was funny how, being a Hylian, you looked grown-up so much faster than I did,” she continued on, clearly peaceful in her reminiscing.

 

You didn’t speak, always wanting to hear more from her. You somehow remembered being the talkative one, but always happy to listen and let her speak as much as she wanted to.

 

She seemed to notice your stare and blushed, focusing more on the healing she was performing. “I was… I was always willing to heal your wounds. Even back then.” she murmured, lifting her hand up. The blue light faded, and you looked down to see your arm which was once bloody and broken, now smooth and cleaned. No marks or any signs of previous injury.

 

You thought in your mind that you should’ve thanked her. But this was a memory. You couldn’t speak to her even if you tried. So she continued to talk in place of your silence.

 

“So if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return… what can we really do? We just don’t seem to know much about what we’ll be up against,” she sighed, pausing with a look that signified she was thinking of what to say next, “But know this. That no matter how difficult this battle might get… if you- if anyone ever tries to do you harm… then I will heal you. No matter when, or how bad the wound… I hope you know that I will always protect you… once this whole thing is over maybe things can go back to how they used to be… when we were young. You know… perhaps we could spend some time together,” she finished, finally looking back at you and locking eyes, a sincere smile as she looked at you happily.

 

The memory started fading. You didn’t want it to fade. You wanted to know more- you needed to know more. You knew so little, why couldn’t you learn more, it couldn’t end already-

 

… and before you knew it you were pulled back to reality.

 

You were shaking after having spaced out for so long. A sharp shiver going down your spine, you finally regained your senses when you heard someone speaking to you.

 

“What is the matter, _____? Are you unwell?” a voice asked with concern, and you quickly recognized it as Sidon who was stood beside you.

 

“You are quivering like a hatchling…” Muzu commented, staring at you now, “Whatever is the matter?”

 

It took you a moment to speak, your mouth couldn’t form the words. “I- I remember… I remember Mipha,” you answered, staring up at her stature, almost confusing yourself by admitting that.

 

Glancing over at Sidon, you saw that he was staring down at you in shock. That clearly wasn’t an answer he was expecting. He looked as though he wanted to say something or ask you a question, but Muzu quickly caught your attention.

 

“WHAT?! Do not mistake me for a fool, Hylian! There is no way you remembered her just now, when it is most convenient. In any case, without solid proof, I cannot possibly take you at your word!” he exclaimed, giving you a rather unsavory and accusatory look., “If you have any such proof, now is the time to show it. Do so, and… and I… I shall tell you how to get those shock arrows! Yes, as well as anything else you wish to know.”

 

Before you could argue, Sidon stepped in to defend you. “Have you truly not figured it out yet? Simply take a closer look at what _____ is wearing!” he retorted, gesturing to the Zora armor.

 

Muzu rolled his eyes as he turned to look at you, “Hm? You really think changing your clothes is going to make me…” he trailed off when he finally noticed the details, “... Eh?! What in the… the Zora armor! Lady Mipha made that by hand… and yet it fits you perfectly! What is the meaning of this?!”

 

“Now you understand, do you not? Now you know who her heart belonged to and who she made this special armor for. The fact that this armor this armor fits _____ perfectly should be proof enough that Mipha made it for her and her alone! You have always disliked Hylians, even before the Great Calamity. That is why Mipha never told you,” Sidon explained, taking a step towards you to stand by your side as he spoke, “Now that you know, you must promise to help her save us all, Muzu. Please… tell us where we can find the shock arrows we need. Knowing you, I bet you have already figured it out.”

 

The way Sidon spoke almost made your heart ache. He pleaded with such emotion. It was clear he cared deeply about Zora’s Domain and his people. And the topic of his sister likely added to his emotion as well. You respected how genuine he was, even in these times of great need.

 

“Hmph. I never would have imagined Mipha would make that special armor for one such as she…” Muzu sighed, turning to gaze up at the late princess’ statue. A soft look fell upon his face while he paused to think, before turning back to you, “I do not approve of asking for help from a Hylian, but I suppose it is our only option at this point. I am a proud Zora. That means I must take responsibility for my unwarranted behavior toward you. As promised, I shall tell you where you can collect as many shock arrows as you will need.

 

“That tall mountain over yonder… it is called Ploymous Mountain, and there you will also find Shatterback Point,” he explained, turning and pointing up to one of the tall cliff sides north of Zora’s Domain, “A terrifying creature has made its home up there. This awful beast shoots volley after volley of shock arrows. Even a single one could be fatal to a Zora.”

 

“Aha!” Sidon exclaimed, the sudden shout making you jump, “You must mean that Lynel! He is a man-beast, that one! That beast does indeed wield shock arrows. That is certainly one way to collect them quickly. He is vicious, to be sure. But I am certain you will rise to the challenge.”

 

Muzu looked lost in thought before nodding his head and speaking, “In order to appease the Divine Beast, I estimate that you will need… hmm… at least twenty shock arrows. Do you think you can gather that many?”

 

You nodded your head, but only semi-confidently. _‘Can I gather that many… am I strong enough yet?’_

 

“Why do you still doubt her, Muzu? I have no doubt she will be triumphant!” Sidon grinned, and his enthusiasm once again helped in soothing you, “Okay, _____, let’s get moving. The fastest way to Ploymus Mountain is to ascend the waterfall east of the domain. That Zora armor should come in handy. Just swim to the waterfall basin, and then go up the waterfall from there! I’ll wait at the East Reservoir Lake, right by the Divine Beast. Gather at least twenty shock arrows, and then come and join me!”

 

Nodding your head with some newfound vigor now, you smiled at him, “I’m on it. Let me stock up at the general store real quick and I’ll be up on Shatterback Point in no time.” you assured him, using the energy in your voice to assure yourself as well.

 

“Wonderful! Together we shall stop that Divine Beast’s onslaught!” Sidon cheered, giving you one last meaningful look before running off, diving over the edge of the plaza, the distant sound of a splash as he hit the water below. No doubt he was already speeding off to the reservoir.

 

Now all that was needed was you.

 

At the general store you stocked up some arrows and bought some of their fish as well, and it seemed as though the store owner knew you and wanted to have a conversation. You profusely apologized though, telling him you had no time to spare.

 

Running over to the inn, you borrowed their cooking pot and made a few meals for the trip up and a couple elixirs, just in case you needed them… and you most likely were going to need them.

 

Once you felt good enough, you climbed up to the highest point of the area you could find and paraglided toward the easternmost waterfall, mentally preparing yourself for the battle to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's stupid and nearly broke their hand and now has a hard time doing literally ANYTHING
> 
> hint, it's me :))))))))))))))))))


	6. Divine Beast Vah Ruta

Traversing Ploymous mountain was the easy part. The Zora armor was extremely valuable, giving you the strength to vertically swim up waterfalls just as any other Zora could. After swimming up two, you were up on the top of Ploymous mountain, and making your way up the path to Shatterback Point.

 

The trail was rather pretty and scenic. If the rain wasn’t pouring down it would’ve been a gorgeous scene with lush green fields, some lakes, and plenty of wildlife around. Along with the wildlife was monsters, of course.

 

A couple of moblins and lizalfos later, you found yourself quickly approaching Shatterback Point. The higher up you got, the more your nerves seemed to start getting to you. You were extremely anxious, especially after this lynel had been explained to you. It sounded terrifying

 

You also noticed something else the higher up you got. Some of the trees you passed had intact shock arrows sticking out of them. You collected the ones you found, and had managed to grab eight by the time the path rounded out at clifftop.

 

Looking around you saw a rather scenic view. A lake in a grassy area with flowers, and while there were some boulders sticking out of the ground it didn’t seem to distract from the view. Pulling out your Sheikah Slate, you surveyed the map curiously. _‘It says I’m right on top of Shatterback Point… but I’m not seeing any monsters up here-’_ you thought, but were suddenly cut off by a loud roar.

 

You barely had time to turn and see a shock arrow heading right for you, and managed to duck as it whizzed over your head and lodged in the tree behind you.

 

The source of the arrow was a humongous centaur-like creature with a grizzly red mane and beady green eyes. He was putting his bow away as he reached for the curved sword and shield on his back, hooves pawing at the ground as he seemingly got ready to charge at you. He was one of the most frightening things you’d faced on this adventure so far.

 

Swallowing your fear, you reached for your own shield, making a silent prayer to the goddesses before sprinting his way.

 

…

 

Mere minutes later there was a dead lynel on the ground in front of you, the remains of his body disappearing and leaving behind loot for you to grab in his absence. It had required way too much dodging on your end, and at one point you’d even managed to climb on his back and hit him from there, but you had done it. Reaching for the bow he’d left behind, you hissed at the feeling of a sharp sting in your right arm.

 

There was a cut in the Zora armor, and a gash in your forearm. You hadn’t realized the beast had managed to strike you, but now as your adrenaline was fading you could feel the stinging pain. Quickly, you dug through your bag with your free hand and pulled out one of the elixirs you’d made in Zora’s Domain- something with a hearty lizard that was supposed to heal.

 

Quickly drinking the red liquid, your cringed at the taste but forced yourself to swallow anyway. Stashing the now empty bottle away, you looked down at your arm and saw the wound closing up. There was still some pain, but much more subdued, and there was now a scar on your arm. Some blood was still on the armor showing where you’d been hit, but other than that the injury was clean.

 

 _‘If only I had something like Mipha’s healing to truly fix myself up,’_ you mused, thinking back to the memory of her from earlier. That whole situation still confused you, and you were still trying to figure out your own feelings, but you didn’t have time to dwell on it at the moment.

 

Picking up what was left on the ground; his sword and shield, and a bundle of about fifteen shock arrows, you climbed up to the edge of the cliff and looked down. In the distance below you you could see the East Reservoir Lake and Vah Ruta in the center of it, blowing it’s stream of water into the air. Unhooking the slate, you used it as a scope to get a better look of the area.

 

Someone stood on one of the platforms in the reservoir. A bright red Zora. _‘Well there’s Sidon, a fish of his word. I’d better get down their quick.’_

 

You hopped off the edge and unfurled your paraglider, heading straight for the prince. After a few minutes of gliding, your arms were feeling sore, but you landed safely on the smooth marble, the blue light from the luminous stone lamps filling your field of vision momentarily.

 

Blinking your eyes to get used to the lighting, you smiled up at Sidon as he approached you. “Glad to see your ready to- wait…” he paused, and looked as though he was sniffing the air. Then his eyes zeroed in on your arm, and his pupils dilated noticeably. The look he had caught you off guard. He quickly noticed his demeanor and straightened up, however, his eyes going back to normal. “Is- is that blood I smell, _____?” he asked with a bit of a stammer, something you’d never heard from him before.

 

“Yeah, that lynel up on the mountain got one good hit on me. But I gave him one good hit in return… or maybe fifty good hits,” you told him with a small laugh to ease his worries, “I got those shock arrows as payback. A whole bundle of them.” And as proof you pulled them out of your arrow quiver, the glow from the arrows casting a yellow light on the two of you.

 

“Impressive, young one! These will prove quite useful in our task, I’m sure of it. Now, are you ready for this?” he asked, leaning down with a grin.

 

You nodded your head, giving him a grin just as confident in return, “More than ready! Let’s do this.”

 

“Wonderful! You never cease to amaze, _____! Now then, let us go and appease that Divine Beast as one! Here we go!” he exclaimed, before jumping and flipping backwards into the water of the reservoir behind him.

 

You took a step forward, then stopped. There was no possible way you could shoot all four mechanisms from this platform, and you couldn’t possibly shoot at them while swimming either. “Uhhh… Sidon? How exactly are we doing this?” you asked, stepping onto the edge of the platform to speak to him.

 

“By riding on my back, of course, how else?” he answered, as though it were completely obvious. It wasn’t. And you found yourself blushing at being prompted to do such an action.  
  
“Riding on your back? Sidon, is that even safe?” you continued, eyes a little wide as you rubbed at the back of your neck nervously.

 

“Of course it is! I’m the fastest swimmer of all the Zora, you’ve seen it with your very own eyes,” he replied, swimming to the edge of the platform and looking up at you with sincere eyes, “I will keep you safe, _____. Always. I swear it.”

 

His hand came out of the water as he extended it to you. Nodding your head anxiously, you dropped your bag with whatever you didn’t need on the platform, only keeping your best weapons and some food on you. Grabbing onto his hand, you found yourself holding it tightly as he helped you into the water and guided you onto his back.

 

You wrapped your legs around his torso securely, and kept one hand anchored on his shoulder for the time being. Your cheeks felt warm, too warm, and you thought it silly that you were having such feelings at such a serious time as this.

 

“Are you alright back there,” Sidon asked, tilting his head to look back at you. You nodded your head yes in response, too distracted to really speak at the moment. “Good. Now, gaze upon the Divine Beast’s back! Do you see those glowing, pink orbs? You will need to shoot each of them with a shock arrow! With your armor you can ascend upon the waterfalls to do so. So I shall take you right up to the side of the Divine Beast, and from there you can swim up and take aim,” he explained, before giving you a look of assurance, “I know you can do it! I believe in you!”

 

As he spoke you listened carefully, considering every part of the plan. It seemed solid so far, and honestly not all that difficult, especially not compared to what you’d just endured with the lynel. “_____, are you ready?” Sidon asked, pulling you out of your thoughts.

 

“The most ready I’ve ever been,” you told him, attempting to emulate the same confident energy he always gave you.

 

With a grin, he pushed away from the platform and began to speed through the water. You held onto him tighter than before, not wanting to get thrown off, but loosened your grip when you realised it might’ve been hurting him. “Okay! Here we go!! Ha! I am unstoppable in the water!” he exclaimed with excitement, clearly loving the exhilaration.

 

As he swam closer, Vah Ruta began to react, jostling around in the water angrily. “Ruta is responding to our presence! I’ll move away and wait for an opening before we approach! I’ll keep going at full speed! It’s up to you to ward off Ruta’s attacks! Are you ready? Vah Ruta will undoubtedly use its ancient and mysterious powers against us- that will include hurling giant ice blocks that we will need to watch out for. I shall leave those to you!” he exclaimed, and your ears had perked up at the word ‘ice’.

 

 _‘Ice? Ice! I can use my runes for this!’_ you screamed in your head with a newfound excitement, grabbing the slate from your belt and lifting it up towards the Divine Beast.

 

Ruta had formed a trio of ice blocks, which looked just like the ones you could make with your Cryonis rune. With a grin, you broke each and every one that was sent flying towards you, clearing the path for Sidon.

 

“Here you go!” he shouted, bringing you into the the side where Vah Ruta had two massive waterfalls spilling out. As soon as he zipped besides one you hopped off his back and swam right up the stream of water.

 

Once up in the air you unfurled your paraglider, floating momentarily as you locked your eyes on one of the four pink mechanisms. Reaching for your bow, you loaded a glowing shock arrow and squinted, biting your lip as you aimed.

 

Time seemed to slow down for you as you sent the arrow flying, and you yelled in delight when you hit it on the first try, the pink orb’s light fading. You quickly realized you were falling and didn’t have time to open your paraglider again.

 

Hitting the water, you gasped for air as you brought your head up, wading as you looked around for Sidon. He was by your side in no time, however, and quickly helped you onto his back. “_____, that was spectacular! I didn’t know you had such spot on marksmanship!” he complimented you, and you smiled at his praise.

 

“Thank you Sidon, but don’t celebrate too early. There’s still three more orbs to get,” you told him, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

 

“Right,” he responded, nodding his head as he began swimming again. As the two of you rounded around Ruta, it created ice blocks one more, this time making three. Unhooking the slate once more, you bit your lip as you took aim, knowing that if you kept this up you’d be on that Divine Beast in no time.

 

…

 

Minutes later all three orbs had been shot thanks to the excellent teamwork of both your and Sidon. After nailing the last mechanism with a shock arrow, Sidon had caught you as soon as you’d hit the water, and you both watched as Ruta’s water stopped flowing and it’s trunk fell into the lake, making a massive wave of water splash up.

 

“Wow! That was astounding! An absolute thrill!” Sidon gasped, the waves as a result of Ruta pushing at the two of you. “Yeah!” you replied, grinning as you laid your head a top his to momentarily rest after the ordeal.

 

If you were too heavy or made him uncomfortable, Sidon certainly said nothing in protest. The two of you sat there in the water for a few more moments in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence where neither of you could find something to say. It was a comfortable one where neither of you felt the need to say _anything_.

 

The moment of peace was cut short though when Ruta began to move again. “Ruta is floating higher now! You wanted to venture inside it, right? I’ll bring you closer,” he said, turning his head as you lifted your own. The two of you locked eyes and had a split second of understanding. You knew what to do. He smiled at you, his eyes softening as he spoke in a softer tone, “We’re counting on you, young one. I know you’ll do good work in there.”

 

He swam closer to Vah Ruta, and you noticed a platform had unfolded on the side of its body serving as an entrance into the inside of it. “Well, _____, here we are. Looks like this is where the real work starts. Nice job cutting off the waterflow from the Divine Beast, by the way,” he spoke, slipping in that last compliment as he helped you up onto the platform.

 

Getting a feel for your footing on Vah Ruta, you turned to look back at Sidon while he floated in the water in front of you. The two of you smiled at one another, and shared a silent moment once more. There was some kind of unspoken tension in the air, and you couldn’t exactly figure out what it was, but you pushed it from your mind. It wasn’t important right now.

 

“Show the enemy no fear,” Sidon said semi-sternly, finally breaking the silence, “I’ll see you back at Zora’s Domain. Best of luck, young one.”

 

There was a rumbling as the Divine Beast began to move once more, lifting you up above the water while you stayed on the platform. You looked around before looking back at Sidon one last time. He looked as though he had something else he wanted to say, but didn’t say anything.

 

Anxious, you waved your hand at him, and he waved back with a small smile. You could tell he was concerned for you, almost scared. But you gave him a look of reassurance as he swam backwards, away from Ruta.

 

You watched him swim away as the Divine Beast finished it’s movements. You turned on your heel and sucked in your breath, ready to take back Vah Ruta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lynel showdown? Piece of cake
> 
> Riding hot fish prince? Not as easy as one would think
> 
> Also, gosh this was another long chapter


	7. A Soul Worn Down by Malice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've entered the Divine Beast Vah Ruta... what now?

Looking around, you spotted a pedestal you could scan the Sheikah Slate with. Jogging over, you unhooked the slate and swiped it over the symbol of an eye. Blue light flashed behind you, and when you turned you saw that a travel gate was now active, like the ones at every shrine and tower.  _ ‘So I can teleport on and off of this thing if I need to, good to know.’ _

 

Suddenly there was a voice, but there was no other person on the Divine Beast to be speaking to you… or so you thought.

 

“You’re here. I must say… that I am so happy to see that this day has finally arrived. Now Ruta can be freed of Ganon’s control,” it said. That voice was so familiar. The soft, sweet voice of caring- where had you heard it before. 

 

Then you realize who it is.  _ ‘... Mipha’s still here.’ _

 

She continued talking as you had that revelation, “you’ll need a map to prevent you from getting lost. A Guidance Stone nearby contains the information that you will need.”

 

Nodding your head, you followed her instructions and ran up the ramp to enter Ruta, only to see a nasty glowing eye at the entrance, surrounded by black and pink goo. Disgusted, you quickly drew an arrow and struck the eye dead center, watching as it shriveled up and the goo slowly disappeared, opening the path up for you.

 

Having no time to dwell on whatever that thing was, you looked around for a Guidance Stone. There was a small pool of water at this base level and a gate across from you. Behind that gate, you could see the Guidance Stone you were looking for, but the gate was blocked the same goo from the entrance.

 

_ ‘There must be another eye I can shoot,’  _ you thought, looking around for one, before spotting the yellow iris underneath the water. Drawing another bow, you shot it dead center, and the goo dissolved once again.

 

Using your Cryonis rune you lifted the gate up and walked across a shallow platform below the water. At the stone, you placed the Sheikah Slate inside the slot and watched the runes distill from the top piece, just like it would at any tower. The screen of the slate now showed a map of the Divine Beast, the entirety of the elephant’s hulking mass. Five areas had glowing orange pinpoints, and it looked as though you’d have the ability to control the trunk of Ruta from the slate as well.

 

The Guidance Stone ejected the slate and you grabbed it, looking over the map and trying to understand what to do. Luckily, Mipha was seemingly happy to give you a push in the right direction.

 

“Good! You’ve obtained the map of the Divine Beast. You will see several glowing points on your map which represent the terminals that control Ruta. Take Ruta back by activating all of the terminals. Be careful,” she explained, and you quickly set out to find all five.

 

There just so happened to be one in this first room, however. Submerged underneath a second pool of water, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to activate down there. It was on a chained platform connected to a series of gears, maybe you could use those to bring it up. 

 

You thought of a way to solve this, as though it were a puzzle, and smiled upon realizing that the lever on the base gear was metal. Switching through the runes on your slate, you lifted it above you and turned on its Magnesis functions. Latching onto the lever, you spun it around and watched the platform with the terminal slowly come above the water.

 

Once it was completely up, you let go of the lever and stepped onto the platform, swiping the slate over the eye symbol as you were used to doing. The stone of the terminal glowed blue, signifying it’d been activated.

 

“There are four terminals remaining! Don’t give up!” Mipha said with encouragement, making you smile. It seemed she and her brother both had that same habit.

 

Looking at the screen of the Sheikah Slate, you tracked where the rest of the terminals. Two on the above levels, each of which seemed to be spinning as though they were moving, one in the head of Ruta, and one on the tip of it’s trunk.

 

Hooking the slate on your belt, you set forth, prepared to get each and every one.

 

… 

 

By the time you got the last terminal, the sun had set, and you were very hungry. You’d eaten the last of your food hours ago after a guardian scout had snuck up on you and literally stabbed you in the back.

 

Each terminal had been an interesting puzzle to solve. The first was on the inside of a spinning gear being powered by water, and you used Cryonis to stop the flow of the water to have access to the terminal’s stone. The second was in a much bigger gear, and you had to use Stasis very quickly to enter a cage that contained the terminal inside. You went for the one inside it’s head after that, but it was blocked by a wall of fire so you couldn’t. Deciding to go to the trunk now, you paraglided to the end, then used to map to move the trunk all the way up so you could walk around and activate it’s terminal. Up there you had realized that you could use the water of the trunk to put out the fire in Ruta’s head, and once you’d done that you sailed down and activated the fifth and final terminal.

 

At each terminal, Mipha had been there to push you forward and offer little quips of advice, and this time was no different.

 

“You activated all the terminals! Now you can start the main control unit. There should be a new glowing mark on your map. Head there! Be careful not to let your guard down.” she informed you. You nodded your head, not really thinking about whether she could even see you or not, and you sprinted out of Ruta’s head.

 

Paragliding through Vah Ruta’s body, you reached the first level of its body, back where that first terminal was. Turning, you could see a wide, dome-shaped room. The floor was covered in a sheet of water, and the end of the room had a massive orange Guidance Stone. Walking towards it, you lifted up the Sheikah Slate but paused before swiping it.

 

This all felt too easy. Sure taking Ruta down to board it was a bit of a challenge, and sure the terminals were each a puzzle, but this was still too easy. If Ganon had taken this over, one would assume he would’ve had more security over it than just  _ this _ . There had to be something missing.

 

Shaking those fears though, you swiped the Sheikah Slate over the main control unit. But instead of the stone glowing blue as it would with any of the terminals or any other stone, black and pink light shot out of the control unit and enveloped it, just like the aura that was enshrouding Hyrule castle and Calamity Ganon.  _ ‘Oh… shit.’ _

 

Blue streams of light came out next, and when you spun around you saw the lights combining and taking shape. An ugly creature, some kind of awful mix of Sheikah technology and that black and pink goo you’d seen everywhere, took form. It’s eye was like those of the Guardians, and it would no doubt be able to shoot you with it. It had an unruly mane of red hair at the back of its head, and in its hand, it held an intimidating, glowing blue spear.

 

It roared, and the sound shook you to your very core and made all of Vah Ruta shake along with it. So  _ this  _ is what you’d been missing the whole time.

 

“Please take care,” Mipha spoke up, helping you remember that she was still around, “That… thing is one of Ganon’s creations. I put up as much of a fight as I could, but it proved to be my demise one hundred years ago… Regardless, I believe that you are well prepared for this moment. I have faith in you!”

 

And with that this beast crouched down, eyeing you maliciously. Each twitch of its unnatural body made the light of its spear shimmer menacingly. Drawing your sword, one you’d managed to take from the body of a guardian scout upstairs, you took him in while grabbing your shield as well.

 

**‘Show the enemy no fear.’**

 

Sidon’s words echoed in your mind, and you felt his support and trust in you even all the way up in the Divine Beast. Taking in a final deep breath, you set off, sprinting at this evil being with no intent to show any mercy.

 

… 

 

Soon after you had done it. Some carefully aimed shots with those extra shock arrows and all your grit and determination had taken it down. Panting, you watched it writhe in pain and agony, disgusting goo and unknown liquids pouring out of its body. It screamed, a bright light shooting from it, and just like that, it was gone. No sign of its presence was left, as though it had never been there in the first place.

 

The light enshrouding the main control unit had disappeared as well, leaving it open for you to go to and finally reclaim the Divine Beast.

 

Looking down at your body, your were torn up. Armor cut in many places from that thing’s spear, and burns at the fringes of your clothing from laser shots that just barely missed you. You couldn’t feel the pain just yet though, your adrenaline still coursing through your veins after the sudden battle.

 

Forcing your numb legs to move, you got onto the control unit’s platform and unhooked the Sheikah Slate, swiping it over the eye symbol one more time. You held your breath, watching the orange lights fade into blue, and let the sigh of relief puff out of your chest.

 

You had done it. You reclaimed Ruta.

 

“Hello, _____,” a voice spoke, nearly making you jump in surprise, “Because of your courage, my spirit is now free. And Ruta, as well. Thank you. For now, I am allowed by this freedom to be with you once again.”

 

A teal light filled the room, and you turned, eyes going wide at who stood before you.

 

Mipha was there. At the end of the room across from you, little blue flames surrounding her form. She looked just as how she had in your memories, as though she hadn’t aged a day in the past century. 

 

_ ‘Of course she hasn’t aged. This is just her spirit… she’s dead,’ _ you thought bitterly, but didn’t voice any of it as she approached you. It took you a moment to realize you were on the edge of tears, your emotions overwhelming you at this moment.

 

“Since I am now a spirit my healing power would be wasted on me,” she said with a small smile. You felt as though she could see the emotional hurt you were experiencing in this moment and diverted the subject. “I have no need of it. So, therefore… I would like you to have it. Please accept… Mipha’s Grace.”

 

She raised her hands to her chest and pushed them out towards you, and orb of blue light following their path. The orb of light hit your chest, and you were suddenly filled with a newfound strength. Your whole body felt warm, like if you had just had a hot drink or sat by a fire to escape the cold. Your feet lifted up off of the ground as her power seeped through you, and you had to brace yourself once you landed.

 

“Yesterday, I was awash in a pool of tears. I had nearly given up hope and resigned myself to being trapped here, as a spirit, for the rest of eternity,” she explained, gazing upon you with sheer appreciation and… love, “All this time, my hope was to see you once more. Promise me that you will not hesitate to call upon my power if you ever find yourself in need. Knowing that will let my spirit rest in peace.”

 

You hadn’t noticed the tears rolling down your cheeks until they fell off your chin and splashed on the water below you. A golden light now surrounded you, and you looked down confused. 

 

“I must go,” Mipha informed you, “Ruta and I have our roles to fulfill. We are both honored to be able to play the role of support. We’ll annihilate Ganon together. Farewell… save her, _____. Save the princess. Oh, and do take care of Sidon. Let him and father know-”

 

But before you could hear the last words, the golden light took over your vision, and you felt yourself be lifted up and out of Vah Ruta. A minute later, you were set down in front of Zora’s Domain, at the end of the Great Zora bridge. You smiled at the two guards and grinned when you saw Sidon sprinting your way, the widest smile you’d ever seen on his face.

 

You took two steps forward, then collapsed onto the ground, legs giving out beneath you. The adrenaline rush was gone and you were starting to feel each and every wound from the fight inside of Ruta. You’d been too distracted to use Mipha’s healing powers.

 

As your vision blurred, the last thing you saw was Sidon hovering over you. It felt as though you were being picked up and cradled against something hard… someone’s chest? Sidon’s face was still above yours. He looked so concerned… so scared and worried. 

 

Then you blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna chop off my hand it hurts so bad but I need it to typeeee. Ughhhh
> 
> Anyways whoo, longish chapter, too much dialogue, also whoops cliff hanger :p


	8. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having blacked out upon returning to Zora's Domain, what will happen now?

You awoke to a room with dim blue lighting. Your body was partially submerged in some shallow water, your head supported on a rather soft folded towel that acted as a pillow. When you attempted to move, you grumbled in confusion feeling how stiff your body was. It felt as though you hadn’t moved in days.

 

After a solid minute of struggle, you were sat upright in this little pool of water. You found you’d been stripped of the majority of your armor, leaving you in your undergarments and a plain white tunic. You could feel you were also bandaged around your torso, and your arms and legs looked as though they had some sort of clear salve on them.

 

Your eyes quickly adjusted to the low lighting, and you were relieved to see your armor on a table at the other side of the room, along with the gear you’d had on Ruta and the bag of supplies you’d left on the reservoir.

 

A glass of water was within your reach and you quickly went for it, gulping it down in a matter of minutes. It tasted like heaven in your dry mouth, and you were grateful for it.

 

The sound of the door opening caught your attention, and you turned your head to see a Zora woman with pale green scales walk in. “Oh, you’re awake,” she smiled, setting down the bottle she’d held in her hands and walking over to your side, “The prince is going to be very happy when he hears this news.”

 

“The prince?” you asked, your voice sounding croaky. After coughing a few times and clearing your throat, you kept talking, “Prince Sidon? Why would he be happy?” You supposed that you were friends at this point, especially after battling Ruta together. But how worried could he really be?

 

“Oh, well the prince has been very concerned since he brought you in, Champion _____!” she informed you, grabbing an intricately sewn hand towel and dipping it into a basin of water, “Pacing outside in the hallway, constantly asking for updates. Every day this week after his meetings with the council, he’s come right here to check on you. We haven’t allowed him into the room, of course, for your privacy. But you gave him quite a fright passing out like that.”

 

She reached a hand out for your arm, and you lifted it in compliance. You watched as she ran the now wet towel back and forth across the limb, wiping away the salve that had been spread across it previously. Your skin was littered in scratches and a few longer scars from the various battles and fights in your past.

 

“What’s this gel?” you asked curiously as she moved to wipe it off of your other arm.

 

“A healing salve,” the nurse answered, pointing to the bottle she’d brought into the room with her, “it was created roughly one hundred years ago. When Lady Mipha was still alive she was our core healer, bringing not only warriors back to prime health, but the everyday Zora as well. After she passed we needed other ways of aiding those in pain, so this medicinal salve was created. It works nowhere near as fast as Mipha’s healing powers once did, but it’s much faster than traditional techniques. The salve is on your back too, but it had to be bandaged as the wound was a rather nasty one.”

 

While she had been speaking she’d cleaned off the rest of your arm and both your legs. “Ah,” you sighed once she was done talking, the mention of Mipha making sad emotions creep into your thoughts.

 

“Well, now that you’re awake you must be starving,” she said with a small laugh, “you have been out cold for a few days after all. I’ll send a message to the kitchens and they’ll prepare a meal for you. How do you feel about fish?”

 

“Oh, I don’t mind it. Depending on how it’s made it tastes rather good,” you told her. She nodded her head and pulled the door open, and you quickly tried to stop her to ask more questions but she left too fast for your words to make it to her. _‘Dammit… I was gonna ask how long I was knocked out for. Guess I have to wait til she’s back…’_

 

You took the next few minutes to take care of your appearance. Digging through your bag, you pulled out some tailored slacks you’d bought in Hateno Village and pulled them on. Satisfied that you now had both a tunic and pants, you tried to find any kind of mirror to see how you looked. You noticed a plaque on the wall above the water basin that was reflective and stood in front of it, cringing at the state of disarray you were in.

 

Dipping your head down into the basin, you wet your hair and took the time to sort it out, untangling some nasty knots and brushed out random specks of dirt and debris from your scalp. Once satisfied, you grabbed your boots and pulled them on, and grabbed an old hiking bandana and wrapped it around your head.

 

At the sound of a knock at the door, you paused your movements, looking over as the door was pushed open. ‘ _That’s probably the nurse with my food-‘_

 

Sidon was stood in the doorway, a tray of food in his hand. You locked eyes, but you couldn’t quite decipher his expression. It seemed to be a mix of various emotions, but mostly positive ones. He looked so happy to see you standing there.

 

Before you could even speak a hello he set the tray down and shut the door, rushing over and pulling you into a tight, warm hug, making your feet lift off of the ground. It felt like you hadn’t been hugged in ages, and you realized that that was in fact true. You hadn’t been hugged, especially not hugged like this, in over a hundred years.

 

Your arms instinctively went to shoulders, wrapping around to hug him back. Lifted up like this, your head just barely rested on his shoulder. If you’d been on the ground the top of your head would’ve barely passed his chest, but you never seemed to care. Your fingers danced along the silver bands he was adorned in, and the two of you just stood there in silence, hugging.

 

After a few moments he set you down, but you noticed he hesitated when he did. He cleared his throat as he looked down at you, and though the lighting in the room was dim, you could see the glint of his bright yellow eyes. “I…” he began, and his lack of words caught you off guard. You’d never seen him speechless before.

 

“I was so worried about you, young one. Seeing you collapse at the bridge quite nearly gave me a heart attack. You have no idea how happy I am to see you alive and well, my friend,” he confessed, an edge of sadness wavering in his voice, “But, that is in the past now. You’re on the path of being fully healed, and you reclaimed Vah Ruta! Please, tell me all about your venture into the Divine Beast.”

 

And so you did. You told him everything that happened from the point of stepping onto Ruta to collapsing at the bridge. You told him all about Ruta itself and it’s various rooms and function, how you could control the trunk, the different puzzles to access each terminal. You told him about the strange black and pink gunk that had been all over the Divine Beast, and the monster you fought at the end made of the same substance. When you got to telling him about Mipha, how she’d been there with you the whole time and how you actually saw her, your voice noticeably cracked and became shaky. Sidon lifted a hand to rub your shoulder gently, offering support as you told the rest of the story.

 

“... and so after speaking to me, she gifted me her power of healing. She calls it Mipha’s Grace,” you explained to him, and he suddenly looked at you with great intrigue.

 

“Her healing powers? Could you please demonstrate them? It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the honor of watching a display like that,” Sidon asked with curiosity, and you smiled at him, nodding your head.

 

Standing up straight, you took a few steps back from Sidon. Putting your hands in front of you, you momentarily paused, thinking of what to do. Your thoughts went back to those fleeting memories of Mipha you had, and your body was flooded with a sense of warmth just like it had back on Vah Ruta. You heard a distant voice, Mipha’s voice, saying, “It was my pleasure.”

 

Next thing you knew streams of blue light had enveloped you, and you watched as they formed in bubble-like spheres around your body. Slowly, each of the small scars and scratches you’d been covered in began to fade away, showing no sign of past injury. You could even feel the wound on your back seal up beneath all the bandages.

 

When the bubbles disappeared, you were left standing there, looking pristine and fresh. Sidon looked amazed and jumped up to circle around you, inspecting the effects of Mipha’s Grace.

 

“Astounding! I haven’t seen such healing since… well since Mipha,” Sidon said as he stepped back, giving you your space, “Oh, but I’ve been distracting you, haven’t I? You must eat and regain your strength! Once you’re done eating, my father would like to have a word with you. And I believe my people would like to see the courageous Hylian who saved them.”

 

You blushed, rubbing the back of your neck at the sound of his compliments and brimming praise. Looking over at the tray of food he’d brought in, your mouth watered at the sight. A sauteed hearty salmon, honey-glazed apples, and crab cakes.

 

“I do hope it’s to your liking, I didn’t exactly know what you might like to eat so I asked the kitchen to prepare something they would think is top quality-” Sidon began to apologize, but stopped himself when he realized you were too preoccupied with stuffing your face to listen to him.

 

You’d always been a big eater, and your love of food knew no bounds. You could eat just about anything that was handed to you. After shoveling down one last piece of crab cake, you blushed and coughed awkwardly, realizing how bad you must’ve just looked eating like that in front of the prince. “Uh… sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize, my friend!” Sidon chuckled, handing you a glass of water which you gratefully accepted, “It’s been three days since you passed out, meaning three days since you’ve last eaten. I understand the haste in doing so.”

 

You choked on your water and gasped, “Three days? What?” You knew you’d been out for some time, but you assumed it had been around a single day or so, not _three_.

 

“Yes, three,” Sidon sighed, “your body needed quite some time to recover after that battle inside of Vah Ruta, I assume. Nonetheless, I’ll be waiting outside. Once you’re ready, join me and we’ll go up to the throne room together.”

 

He gave you one last cheeky smile before stepping out of the room, leaving you with your thoughts and not much else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo boy. The first chapter that is completely from my head, completely outside of the realm of the game. No cutscenes, nada. Makes me excited for once calamity-ganon's been slain huehuehue


	9. A Sweet Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks from the king and leaving Zora's Domain

You fixed yourself up, pulling on some of the nicer Hylian armor you’d bought back in Kakariko Village. You paused when your eyes caught the Zora armor and picked it up, inspecting the damage. The shoulder pads and gloves made with dragon scales held up strongly, as one would expect. But the waterproof fabric that made up the majority of the clothing was torn and ripped up in several places.

 

 _‘Hmm… maybe I should pay Cotera a visit…’_ you pondered, tucking the armor away in your supply bag. Cotera was a Great Fairy you’d awoken just outside of Kakariko with an offering of one hundred rupees. You think that at first, she was a bit peeved that you weren’t a male explorer, as she’d likely been hoping for. But she couldn’t deny the rupees, and when you told her the story of your quest she seemed rather excited to help. She’d upgraded and repaired some of your armor at no cost and asked you to awaken her three other sisters, all of whom were scattered around Hyrule.

 

Once you felt satisfied with how you looked, you gathered your things and walked out. You had to blink a few times for your eyes to adjust to the sunlight as the room you’d just been in was much darker in comparison.

 

Sidon, true to his word, was waiting outside your door. “Are you all prepared? I talked to the head nurse and informed her about the healing you performed on yourself, so you’re now permitted to leave the medical ward,” he explained to you, a smile on his face as he gazed down at you, “Now then, shall we head up to meet with my father?”

 

You nodded your head and smiled back at him, and next thing you knew the two of you were walking side by side out of the ward. As you walked, you realized Zora’s Domain was bigger than you’d previously thought. There were more layers to the palace beneath the throne room, such as a dining hall, bedchambers, a meeting room for the council, and of course the medical ward.

 

Curious about the rest of the domain, you looked up at Sidon and asked him about it. “Where do the rest of the Zora sleep? I know you and your dad have chambers here in the palace, but what about everyone else?” you wondered aloud, quirking an eyebrow as you tried to think about it.

 

“Oh, well in various places. Some Zora live underwater below the main architecture of the domain,” he began, pointing over the ledge as the two of you walked up a set of stairs. Peering over and squinting your eyes, you nodded your head once you could see faint outlines of apparent homes in the lake. “A fair amount of our people have chambers here in the palace. The councilmen and councilwomen and their families live here, along with servants and the guard.”

 

The rest of the walk up was mostly quiet with little bits of chatter sprinkled in here and there. You felt as though something was off about Sidon though. He normally talked more- much more than he was right now, and in the corner of your eye, you could see him peeking glances at you every few moments. You could tell he wanted to talk about something or ask you about something. But you weren’t going to pry, at least not right now. You could leave things like that for after you’ve beaten Calamity Ganon.

 

After a few minutes, the two of you reached the top of the staircases that served as an entrance to the throne room, and you were caught off guard. A crowd of Zora was stood in front of the king, from young children to the elder council members. Once King Dorephan saw you stood there, he raised his hand to ask you to come forward. The crowd parted for you, everyone now looking at you expectantly. Smiling at them all a little nervously, you walked up and stood before the king as he had asked of you.

 

“_____! You did well to survive your trial! I have been awaiting your return!” he greeted you heartily, a wide grin on his face as he spoke. _‘Well, I’ve found out where Sidon gets that smile from.’_ “The violent downpour has disappeared, as has the threat to Zora’s Domain! It is all little more than a bad dream now. Thanks to your efforts, there is no longer any danger of a great flood laying waste to Hyrule! You appeased the Divine Beast Vah Ruta and thusly saved Zora’s Domain! We are all truly grateful! What you did for us is more than we could have ever expected of you.”

 

“_____… I must sincerely apologize for my harsh treatment of you,” Muzu spoke, a genuine and sorry look on his face, “The whole time, you were thinking of Hyrule’s and Lady Mipha’s well-being, just like the rest of us. All of the members of our council humbly fold our fins back in gratitude, along with the rest of our people. Perhaps the older generation of Zora, myself included, misunderstood Hylians after all. It would seem so. That said, I would be overjoyed if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. If not now, then perhaps one day.”

 

You gave him a look of acceptance and nodded your head, letting him know that you already forgave him.

 

King Dorephan pulled your attention back to him once more though, “_____! I must reward your efforts! Now then, I implore you to collect the treasure inside that chest over there. It was cherished by Mipha. A memento of sorts. I would like you to have it as a token of our friendship. Please take good care of it,” he explained, and you were suddenly very curious as to what was inside the chest, “By the way, _____. I see you are without your trusty blade… the sword that seals the darkness. Did you perhaps lose it when you lost your memory?”

 

The Master Sword is what he was talking about. Impa had explained it to you back when she’d first told you to seek out the Divine Beasts. You knew you had to find it, it would be a key tool in defeating Ganon… you just had no idea where it was. “I believe I did yes. Possibly in my final fight before being put in the Shrine of Resurrection. But I have no clue where it is now.” you told him, and he nodded his head understandingly.

 

“So it is truly lost. That is a legendary blade that only you, the Hylian Champion, can wield. It undoubtedly found a safe place to wait for you… sleeping soundly, just like its master. _____, all of the Zora thank you from the depths of our hearts for your heroic and selfless work!” the king beamed before looked over at his son, “And you too, Sidon.”

 

Sidon perked up, turning to look up at King Dorephan. “As you father, I am proud of you for fighting the Divine Beast alongside _____. You have grown much recently. I know you will be a worthy heir when your time comes.”

 

Sidon looked down at the floor, and you smiled seeing the blush on his cheeks. “Father… I… thank you!”

 

“The heavy rains have stopped, and the Divine Beast is our ally once again! How glorious! Truly splendid!” the king grinned, chuckling happily.

 

“_____! This is wonderful!” Sidon exclaimed excitedly, giving you his signature, striking grin. He walked over to you and grabbed one of your hands in both of his, shaking it gratefully. The force of the movement made you temporarily lose your balance as you laughed, and some of the Zora in the crowd laughed along with you, primarily the children. “_____, thank you so much! Truly, I could never thank you enough. You helped save our home from vanishing away! This calls for a top-tier expression of gratitude!”

 

He stepped back from you and cupped his hands around his mouth, a few Zora in the crowd doing the same. “ZO! ZO! RA RA RA!” they chanted, and you blushed at the praise, smiling at the crowd as they cheered for you.

 

Sidon put his hands down as he looked at you, clearly pleased with how the little ceremony was going. “With all my heart… thank you!” Sidon said one last time, and the crowd continued to cheer on for you. Four Zora children ran up to you and crowded around, hugging your legs and thanking you for saving the Domain and stopping the rain.

 

You laughed at the attention, patting each child on the crests of their heads. Your eyes caught Sidon and he grinned happily at you, nodding his head towards the chest so you wouldn’t forget to take what was inside once you were ready.

 

You spent a few minutes talking to the Zora, getting various praise and greetings as you talked to them. Once the happy atmosphere settled down and people started leaving the throne room to return to their day to day lives, you focused your attention on the chest.

 

It was long and flat, with two clasps on the side concealing what was inside. You assumed it had to be some kind of spear or weapon judging by the length, and your fingers skirted along the silver clasps before you finally unlocked it. Pushing open the lid of the chest, you gasped upon seeing what was inside.

 

It was an intricately made trident made of silver with embedded stones and gems. You immediately recognized it as the weapon Mipha herself owned and was always depicted with. Gingerly, you grasped it in your hands, lifting it up out of the chest. You were surprised by how versatile it was. It carried some weight but you knew you’d have no trouble swinging it around or moving with it, and it was likely made this way so it could be used underwater.   
  
“It’s gorgeous isn’t it?” a voice asked, and you turned to see Sidon stood behind you, “My sister was gifted it once she was of age. She was well known for her healing, but her spearmanship was unmatched. One of the best in the land. I believe she called it the Lightscale Trident.”

 

You nodded your head, touching the base of the trident to the ground and sizing it up. It was roughly as tall as you were, and you imagined it would’ve been taller than Mipha whenever she held it in her own hands. “It is beautiful. I don’t think I’ll even be able to use it in combat,” you laughed, spinning it around to get a better feel for it, “I’ll need to find someplace to store it. Then once I have my house I’ll display it there.”

 

“You could leave it here in our care if you’d like, then you can return whenever you’d like to take it back into your possession,” Sidon offered, and you looked up at him before extending your arm, handing the trident over to him. He seemed caught off guard by how forward you were but chuckled as he took the weapon into his own hands, handling it with great care. “I’ll find somewhere safe to keep it for now. I could likely hold it in my chambers for the time being. So, _____, where are you heading next in your travels?”

 

You thought about it before pulling out the Sheikah Slate and examining the map. Sidon leaned down to look at the screen as well, clearly very curious about the technology. “I’m thinking of heading back to Kakariko village momentarily. I can stock up on supplies there, and I’m going to visit someone that I know can repair the Zora armor,” you explained to him, scrolling across the map as you spoke to show him the marked locations, “Then I’ll head North, to this nearest yellow pinpoint. That’s where I’ll find the next Divine Beast. I’ll need to appease and regain control of all four before I fight Ganon.”

 

“Ahhh… I believe up North past Akkala is where you’ll find the Goron. Upon the volcanic mountain is where their settlement is. It’ll likely take you quite some time travel there. A week on foot, two or three days with a steed,” he told you, before pausing to ask another question, “Would you… possibly want to stay in touch with me? Through letters? You know that, of course, I see you as a friend, I want to make sure you’re staying safe out there. Though you are, of course, also the Hylian Champion, one can never be too safe- And I’d also be very curious as to what sorts of adventures you’ll be getting into- and- and-” he began to ramble, and you quickly lifted up one of your hands to get him to stop.

 

You’d began to notice that when he was nervous he rambled. It was pretty cute, and the blush he’d get on his cheeks added to that. “Sidon. Don’t worry. I’d love to stay in touch with you… but- how? I’m never gonna be in one place for too long.”

 

“Oh! The royal family has trained birds, message carriers. It’s a very specific species of fowl, they can track down anybody as long as they have one of that person’s belongings to track them with. So you keep something of mine, and I’ll keep something of yours, and we’ll exchange letters back and forth,” he explained, unclipping one of the silver bands around his wrist, “here, you’ll keep this and it’s how the bird will know to come back to me.”

 

You held the silver band in your hands carefully, brushing your fingers over the intricate designs. You thought for a moment about what to give him, before pocketing the band and reaching up for  you ear. Carefully, you unclipped the blue hooped earring in your right ear, before handing it over. “Sorry I know it’s small, but it’s one of the easiest things I could think of. I woke up with it back on the Great Plateau, so I’ve had it for over a hundred years I guess,” you apologized, but Sidon shook his head as he gently grabbed it from your palm.

 

“No need to apologize, young one! This is perfect, once you set out on your adventure you’ll likely receive a letter from me in no time. Now then, is there anything else you need? Supplies from the general store, you can spend a night of rest in the inn,” he offered, but you shook your head no in response.

 

“It’s fine, I think I’ll be fine…” you responded, and a silence fell over the two of you. But this time it felt more awkward than before. Both of you had things you wanted to say, you realized, but neither of you was willing to step forward about it.

 

“Well-” Sidon began, finally breaking the silence, “I hope you do well on your journey- no, I know you will do well on your journey, _____. And remember, you’re welcome in Zora’s Domain whenever you may want to visit. And please… do visit.”

 

“I will, don’t worry. You’ll be seeing this face much sooner than you may think,” you laughed, “And I really appreciate all the assistance with Ruta, Sidon. You were a lot more help than you might think.”

 

You each bid a heartfelt goodbye, and you turned on your heel. You took one step, before turning back and running towards Sidon, wrapping your arms around his torso to hug him.

 

You had caught him off guard, and he stumbled back before getting his balance back, wrapping an arm around you as well. Neither of you let go before you reluctantly stepped back, a blush on your cheeks. “Sorry- I… I dunno what came over me…” you apologized, before clearing your throat awkwardly, “Well… bye. Talk to you soon, I guess?”

 

Sidon laughed quietly, looking down at you with soft eyes, “Yes, talk to you soon, young one. Good luck out there. And remember.. show the enemy no fear!”

 

Laughing, you gave him one last grin before walking out of the throne room. Your feet picked up their movements and you sprinted, opening up your paraglider as you sailed out of the Domain. Once you landed near the end of the bridge, you swiped through your Sheikah Slate before selecting the Tal’noh Naeg shrine.

 

The familiar feeling of your feet lifting off the ground took over, and streams of blue enveloped your body before lifting you away. Moments later you landed on a solid platform. Looking around you could see mountains, and you knew below you was Kakariko Village. The distant sounds of cucco’s clucking and children laughing clued you in.

 

 _‘Now then. Time to visit Cotera,’_ you thought, turning to set off to the Great Fairy Fountain. And you noticed as you walked, your thoughts were drifting off fondly to a certain tall, red Zora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops that took me a couple days to write, sorryyyyyyy


	10. Penpals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've set out on your quest to appease the next three Divine Beasts, yet the Zora prince can't seem to evade your mind and life

A few days later you were on your way to Death Mountain. You’d spent a day or so in Kakariko Village, visiting Cotera and stocking up on supplies. Cotera had been extremely curious to hear about your travels as she mended and upgraded the Zora armor with her magic. While sat in her little enclosed, pond area you told her all about Zora’s Domain, and the Divine Beast, and showed her the power Mipha had given you.

 

After a while of talking, you noticed her staring down at you with an amused expression. “What?” you asked her very confused, “Is there something on my face?” You felt your cheeks to make sure there was no dirt on anything on them, and Cotera merely giggled at the reaction.

 

“No no, dear. I’ve just noticed that you seem to be talking about this prince of your’s quite a bit. You take a shine to him?” she asked, winking at you while she gave you a knowing look.

 

With a blush, you shook your head and looked down at the ground, plucking one of the small flowers from the ground. “No… no. He’s just a friend. He’s sweet and caring, but he’s like that with everyone, I’ve seen it first hand. He’s just a kind soul,” you replied, but Cotera wasn’t buying it.

 

“Whatever you say, honey. Now, here’s the Zora Armor,” she smiled at you, handing over the blue chest plate which was now perfectly restored, “Anything else you’d like me to fix or upgrade?”

 

“Nah, I think I’m good for now. I’ve got to get going to meet with the Goron,” you told her, putting away the armor in your bag, “Thanks so much for the repairs Cotera. And I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your sisters.”  
  
“Alright then, dear,” she smiled at you, brushing her bright blonde hair out of her face, “Well, byeeeeee!” And with a flourish, she dove back into her fountain, out of sight.

 

After thinking back to the memory, you frowned a bit at what Cotera had said. _‘Taken a shine to Sidon? What does she even mean by that?’_ you wondered, a little bit frustrated by it. “Persy, what did you think she meant by that?” you asked your horse, Persephone, jokingly. Persephone just whinnied softly in response.

 

You looked out at the area around. The rocks and terrain had taken on a more red-brown hue, and that only increased as you got closer and closer to Death Mountain. The volcano wasn’t far off now, and you could see a Sheikah Tower at the base that you could climb to get the map of the area.

 

Suddenly, you heard a noise. An accordion. Your ears immediately perked up and you unhooked the Sheikah Slate, using its scope to look out in the distance. You quickly grinned when you were able to see a stable not too far ahead on the trail. And it seemed as though Kass was there too, judging by the music.

 

Quickly, you grabbed Persephone’s reigns and snapped them, a small yell passing your lips as she took off, galloping down the path and straight towards the familiar and welcoming stables. Once arriving, you saw a sign that read ‘Foothill Stables’. You bid Kass a quick hello, and waved at Beedle since you saw him walking up the road with his signature beetle-shaped bag.

 

Hopping off of Persephone, you pulled on her reigns and brought her up to the stall. After talking to the stable hand, they took your horse into their care. You knew you couldn’t bring her onto the volcano with the heat, so you’d leave her here for the time being. You patted Persephone on the head one last time and offered her an apple that she happily munched on as she was guided to her new stall.

 

You took some time talking to all the people at the stables, getting some advice and tips on how to traverse the region. One lady, named Gaile, struck a deal with you to sell you some fireproof elixirs in exchange for rupees. You’d use these until you could get to Goron City and buy some proper fireproof armor.

 

As the sun began to set, you found yourself sitting beside the cooking pot. You were preparing some meals since you were low on good food, and were currently baking some glazed apples when you heard the cry of a bird.

 

Curiously, you turned to search for the bird that made the cry. In the sky above you, a bird was soaring overhead. It was roughly the size of a falcon but certainly wasn’t one. It had light blue feathers and a long tail that fluttered in the wind. Its talons and beak were decorated in something shimmery, almost like jewelry. It seemed to be looking around, and when its eyes spotted you it chirped and glided down.

 

You felt the rush of wind that its wings kicked up as it landed beside you on the stump of a cut-down tree. It looked up at you with bright green eyes before pecking your hand gently. Laughing, you ran your hand across its feathers and pulled some nuts out of your supply bag to feed it with.

 

Now that the bird was up close, you noticed a bag strapped around its body. A letter bag? As the bird chewed on the nuts you’d fed it you opened up the bag curiously and pulled out an envelope.

 

It was a pale blue paper, and the seal was a shiny silver wax with a fish design imprinted into it. Flipped the paper over in your hands, you smiled seeing your name written out in a navy blue ink. _‘So Sidon’s letter managed to find it’s way to me,’_ you smiled, pulling out something sharp to open up the envelope and pull out the letter.

 

_Dearest _____,_

 

_I do hope this letter didn’t take too long to reach you. I’ve assigned our most trusted messenger with the job- his name is Archimedo, just in case you were wondering._

 

_Things have been going very well in Zora’s Domain since the appeasement of Vah Ruta. I’m not sure if you saw the Divine Beast or not upon leaving the Domain, but Ruta is now perched upon one of the mountains tops in the upper Zora lands. It appears as though it’s taken direct aim at Hyrule Castle, as well. I would assume that once all four Divine Beasts are in position that that is when you will make your own path to Ganon. If that is the case, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on the sky to watch your progress._

 

_As for my people, everyone is much higher spirits than I’ve seen in nearly a century! Even the elder Zora and members of the council are much happier than I’ve seen in quite some time. You’ve really had quite an effect on the people. You might like to know that some of the children have even been asking me about you, they want to know the next time you’ll be around in the Domain. I believe they prepared some sort of gift to thank you, but they refuse to tell me what the surprise is._

 

_Nonetheless, I do hope everything is going well on your journey. I know you’re a brilliant swordsman, but one can never be too careful. With Ganon’s power heightened I hear there are more monsters in and around Hyrule than ever before. I once again bid you good luck on your adventures, and hope to hear a reply from you soon. I cannot wait to hear about everything you’ve been experiencing on your travels, young one._

 

_Yours truly,_

_Prince Sidon_

 

_P.S: Before giving Archimedo your return letter, make sure you have him see or smell the band I gave you, he’ll know what to do._

 

You smiled as you folded the letter and put it back in its envelope, tucking it away in your bag. You ran your hand down Archimedo’s back and scratched at some of the feathers at the back of his head, which he seemed to greatly appreciate. “I’ll have a letter for you ready in a little bit. Just let me find some paper and a quill,” you told him, getting up from the stump you’d been sat on.

 

Scooping the now fully baked apples out of the cooking pot, you wrapped them in a korok leaf and tucked them into your bag. Walking over to the stall, you asked around if anyone had some spare paper and a quill- and you were in luck. Ozunda, the stable owner, had a stack of spare papers that he’d use to log the going-ons of the area. He lent you a quill and a small pot of ink to write with as well.

 

Walking back over to the fire of the cooking pot, you sat down beside Archimedo who was nestled up happily in the warmth the flames offered. You thought about what to write. What would you even tell him about? It wasn’t as though anything very interesting had happened so far.

 

Looking up at Death Mountain in the distance though, you got some ideas on what to put down on paper. Minutes later you had two sheets of paper full of your own writing. Folding the papers, you then tied together some grass to hold them together with. Looking inside of your bag, you fished around for the silver band Sidon had given to you it tapped Archimedo gently.

 

The bird looked over at you curiously as you brought the band closer to him. You watched as he lifted his head up and sniffed at the band, before chirping and spreading his wings open. You reached forward and opened up his letter-bag, slipping your papers inside of it. You offered him one last nut which he happily took from your fingers, and before you could blink your eyes he was off- soaring up into the air and South, towards the Lanayru region.

 

Turning back to the stables, you decided you’d rest here for the night before beginning your trek up Death Mountain and to Goron City. You paid for a bed for the night and brought your supplies in. Getting comfy in the bed, you pulled the curtains around you and drifted off into a dreamland quite quickly.

 

…

 

It had been six days since Sidon sent Archimedo out with his letter to you. He found himself anxiously anticipating a response. It was roughly around noon when he was sat in his chambers, going over some papers the council had assigned to him on trade in the region. Trade over the past century had been difficult to sort of with all the monsters around, no one could be truly safe taking goods across the land with threats such as those.

 

A sigh passed the prince’s lips as he leaned back in his chair, letting his eyes rest after going through way too many formal filings. But a sudden chirp made him jump up immediately.

 

He turned and grinned at the sight of Archimedo perched at the window, and rushed over to greet the bird. “Hello there, my feathered friend. I trust you had no issues in finding _____, yes?” Sidon asked, petting the bird’s back as he opened the letter bag and pulled out your papers.

 

A soft smile graced his face as his fingers traced over his name scrawled on the front. Pulling off the knotted grass, he excitedly unfolded the papers and got to reading  as quickly as he could.

 

_Dear Sidon,_

 

_I honestly wasn’t expecting a letter from you so soon! Archimedo found me much quicker than I had anticipated, only took him three days. I’m currently at the base of Death Mountain, right outside of the Eldin Region. I have no clue how you train those messenger birds, but be sure to give Archimedo a lot of food, he did a real good job traveling so far._

 

_I’m so glad to head everything’s going well in Zora’s Domain, though. I was a bit worried leaving so soon, I thought there might’ve been some issues still, but I’ll take your word in that everything is good down south. But gee, I wonder what those kids could have planned. Knowing how vast the imagination of a child is, it could quite literally be just about anything._

 

_And yes, I have seen the beam that Vah Ruta is aiming at Hyrule castle. It’s one of the brightest things in the night sky. It’s intimidating, but I can find comfort in it knowing that it’s a sign I’m making progress in defeating Ganon._

 

_Speaking of Divine Beasts, I’ve spotted the one that belonged to the Goron Champion. It’s a massive mechanical lizard, made of the same technology Ruta was, and it seems as though it’s made its home on Death Mountain. All day and night it scurries around the volcano causing a ruckus, and every once in a while it’ll whip its tail against the mountain and cause flaming hot rocks to rain down on the surrounding areas._

 

_Luckily the Hylians out here at this stable I’m staying at are out of reach to be affected. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the Gorons have been dealing with the Divine Beast for ages now. In the morning I set out to Goron City, hopefully, to meet someone who can assist me with the Divine Beast as you did. And if not, I’ll have to find a way to get up there and take control of it on my own._

 

_But other than this, nothing eventful has really happened. After getting the Zora armor fixed, I’ve just been traversing the land. I’ve had some fights with the occasional monster, this one rather nasty looking silver bokoblin nearly bested me, but I held my ground. For all I know, you could be having more exciting encounters in Zora’s Domain._

 

_Well, that’s honestly all I’ve got to tell you about. I’ve been feeding Archimedo some nuts and berries, he seems to like chickaloo tree nuts the most. I’ll go ahead and send this letter back with him, and hopefully, by the time he returns to me, I’ll be off of Death Mountain. I wouldn’t want to subject him to those hot temperatures up there. I guess I’ll be off now, though. Good luck over there, princey._

 

_Sincerely,_

_______

 

Sidon had been wearing a grin on his face the whole time he’d read your letter. And he certainly wasted no time getting back to his desk to write a response, pushing the thoughts of his work aside.

 

“Hmm… chickaloo tree nuts, Archimedo?” Sidon asked, and the bird chirped happily in response. “I’ll ask about where they naturally grow and see with we can have some traded in,” the prince said, before grabbing his quill and a blank slip of paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidon's point of view? Woah, what? I mean it's not exactly his point of view... more like an omniscient view of his life and thoughts... but y'all know what I mean :p


	11. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your battle with Calamity Ganon approaches. However, you're not heading towards Hyrule Castle just yet

The next three weeks had flown by. Within the span of time, you’d accomplished many tasks, such as appeasing the Divine Beast Vah Rudania with the help of a goron named Yunobo, a descendant of the Goron Champion Daruk. You boarded the Divine Beast, fought another of Ganon’s monsters, took back control, and were gifted the power of Daruk’s Protection, the ability to make temporary force fields around your body. After that you traversed northern Hyrule to get to the Tabantha region, where you’d heard the Rito Village stood.

 

Along the way, however, you happened upon the lost woods. Within these woods, you’d found Korok Forest, the home of the Great Deku Tree who’d been overseeing the Master Sword these last hundred years. You attempted to pull the sword out of the ground but nearly collapsed upon doing so. The Great Deku Tree explained to you that you needed to possess greater strength in order to wield the sword, and since you’d been asleep for a century you were much weaker than you’d been before. You marked the shrine inside of the woods, though, so you could travel back once you felt more prepared. You knew that sword would be vital once you were set to fight Ganon.

 

After saying goodbye to all the adorable koroks in the forest, you set out to Rito Village once more. On the way there you spotted the next Divine Beast- a massive mechanical bird high up in the sky, flying constant circles in the air. Once you got to the village, the elder rito enlisted your help in taking down the Divine Beast, who you learned was named Vah Medoh. You met with a rito named Tebah, and with his help, you flew up to Medoh and boarded it. After completing its puzzles you fought your third of Ganon’s monsters, took main control, and received the gift of Revali’s Gale from the late Rito Champion, meaning you now had the power to create powerful updrafts at will.

 

From Rito Village, you traveled south the Gerudo Desert, where you heard a place called Gerudo Town was, and likely where you’d find the next Divine Beast. On the way there you’d actually found another Great Fairy Fountain, the home of the fairy Kayasa, one of Cotera’s sisters. You gave her some armor for her to mend and upgrade, then you continued on south. During your travels, you encountered a massive, one-eyed beast, who you later learned was called a Hinox. Defeating him wasn’t so hard, and you managed to scavenge some decent weapons that he’d been hoarding.

 

Continuing on into the desert, you were able to see the final Divine Beast out in the sandy dunes. A ginormous camel-like creature that was kicking up a sandstorm and striking anything that came near with lightning. you finally reached Gerudo Town, a peculiar settlement that only allowed ‘vai’, the gerudo word for women. You met the young gerudo Chief Riju and explained to her how you were able to appease Divine Beasts, and could save her and her people from Vah Naboris. She seemed to have trust in you as you used to be a friend of the Gerudo Champion Urbosa, but her personal guard Buliara seemed to have doubts. So they instructed you to find the Yiga Clan hideout in the desert and retrieve an armor piece called the Thunder Helm, a relic passed through the Gerudo royal family that had been stolen.

 

So you did just that. Borrowing a friendly sand seal, you rushed through the hot desert and managed to arrive at the marked location on your Sheikah Slate by nightfall. Sneaking in, you managed to find a Gerudo guard who’d been captured during her mission there. She reassured you that she’d get out on her own and you traveled deeper into the hideout. You played a dangerous hiding game, skirting around corners to sneak around intimidating Yiga members, luckily able to distract many by using their weakness of bananas. Finally, you met and battled Master Kohga, who was honestly a bit of a humorous joke, and took back the Thunder Helm.

 

Getting back to Gerudo Town, you returned the helm to its rightful owner, and with Riju’s help, you traveled to Vah Naboris. Using the Thunder Helm, you approached the Divine Beast easily and managed to take it down and board it in no time. You completed the terminals once more with the guidance of Urbosa’s spirit, fought Ganon’s monster, took back control, and received the gift dubbed Urbosa’s Fury, so now at the snap of your fingers you could summon lightning to strike down your enemies.

 

During the entirety of those three weeks, both you and Sidon had been sending letters back and forth non stop. Sidon’s second letter back to you had come with gifts- a red feathered quill, a portable ink pot, and sheets of parchment so you could write to him no matter where you were. Every letter you penned to him detailed your adventures- the monsters you fought, places you explored, items you found. You’d also made sure to snap as many pictures as you could with the Sheikah Slate so you could show it all to him the next time you saw him.

 

Currently, you were sat on the Wasteland Tower, just returning from the Gerudo Desert. Now all four Divine Beast where primed and in position, aiming directly at Hyrule Castle, their bright red lasers standing out in stark contrast to the blue sky. You could see the castle out in the distance, in the center of Hyrule. That was your next major destination.

 

But, you still had some things to do before going to fight Ganon. You traveled back to Korok Forest, greeted Hestu and the other koroks before stepping up on the triforce shaped pedestal. Bright sunshine shone down on you as you gazed upon the Master Sword, and the Great Deku Tree’s voice rang out, “Young hero, you’ve come to test your strength once more? Remember my warning… last time I saved you, but if you attempt this once more and are not prepared, I can’t promise that you’ll make it out with your life.”

 

You nodded your head and sucked in your breath. Focusing you placed your hands on the handle, wrapping your fingers around it in a strong grip. Flashes of memories past flew through your mind. The four Champions, your friends long gone, Princess Zelda- everything ran through your head. You staggered somewhat, the sudden influx of thoughts catching you off guard. You breathed deeply again, however. You could do this. You knew you could.

 

And with all your might, you pulled up on the sword. Slowly, it dislodged from the ground. But the harder you pulled, the less energy you had within yourself. Your vision began to blur, and with you were able to muster one last strong pull- and it worked.

 

You stepped back, a new weight in your hands. You held the sword out in front of you, quite literally breathless after that strenuous task. The sword almost shimmered in the light, casting a white shine over everything around it. You ran your thumb over the embedded triforce in the handle. A strange feeling took over you- it felt almost like you were seeing an old friend after a long time.

 

Using both hands, you grip the handle and hold the sword right in front of you. A breath of air passed your lips and you grinned a little, before bringing your arm back and slicing through the silent air, swinging it around with newfound vigor. This was a weapon you were more than familiar with. The sword that seals the darkness, and it was in your hands once again.

 

Reaching back, you tucked the sword into its sheath on your back. “After you were separated from the sword, the princess thought to bring it here, where she knew that it would be safe under my watch,” the Great Deku tree spoke, “She continues to fight, trapped deep within the confined of Hyrule Castle. Her heart cascades with faith that you will return. She has a smile like the sun… I would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again.”

 

You nodded your head, looking up at the old forest spirit. “I won’t let her down- or any of Hyrule. I will take down Calamity Ganon,” you promised. The Great Deku Tree nodded fondly, and you stepped back from the pedestal and unhooked the Sheikah Slate. You had one more place you needed to visit before setting out to Hyrule Castle.

 

…

 

The scent of freshwater was all you could smell as you walked down the Great Zora Bridge. You smiled at the two guards who stood at the entrance before heading up the staircases and into the throne room. As you stepped in, you could see both King Dorephan and Muzu in conversation, but no sign of Sidon to be found. The king quickly noticed your presence and beamed at you, “Ah! Hylian Champion, how good to see you! What brings you to Zora’s Domain at this time?”

 

“Oh, I just wanted to stop by and buy some supplies before my fight with Ganon. And um… also, meet with Prince Sidon and talk… you wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you?” you asked, and both the king and Muzu began to chuckle at the question.

 

“The Prince is in his chambers, just below this room. I’m not surprised you wanted to pay him a visit, you seem to be one of the main things he’s been talking about this past month,” King Dorephan answered with a smile. “Yes… one of the **only** things he been talking about,” Muzu said with some humorous distaste.

 

Blushing, you laughed a little bit and walked out of the throne room, bidding both men a quick goodbye. _‘Sidon talking about me? I assume he’s been telling his dad about my travels, why else would he be discussing me?’_

 

You descended down a set of stairs, only to be stopped by two guards. “Halt. What is your business here?” one of them asked, and you opened your mouth to answer before being interrupted by another familiar voice.

 

“Who’s out there- … oh-” you immediately recognized that as Sidon. His head had peeked out of one of the doorways and he grinned when he saw you. “_____! Guards, please step aside, this is the Hylian Champion after all. She is welcome at any time. _____, please step into the room, have a seat, young one.”

 

He guided you into his chamber room and gently shut the door behind the two of you. You quickly took in the features of the room- the arched windows that let in fresh air and gave a view of the distance, the blue lights from luminous stones that decorated the room, his desk, a cushioned seating area, and a pool of water which you could only assume he slept in.

 

You heard an all too familiar chirping and smiled at the sight of Archimedo perched at one of the windows. “Ah yes, he’s still here. I was in the middle of penning my next letter to you when you arrived,” Sidon explained, before turning to you, “Now, as much as I love this surprise visit from you, I must ask why you’ve come. You’ve yet to defeat Ganon, what is it you need from me?” he asked you curiously.

 

And that made you seriously think. You had a reason for visiting, it was an urge within you. But you didn’t know how to put it into words. “I… I honestly don’t quite know,” you answered truthfully, “I just… felt the need to? And I’m not sure why. I’m about to do something quite drastic, and I guess I just needed a more peaceful experience before doing so…”

 

Sidon’s expression became a more fond one as he gazed down at you. “That is entirely understandable, young one. If you would like to, you can stay here for a while. Maybe regale me in some more tales from your journey? I’m sure hearing it directly from the source rather than through written word will be much more interesting,” he grinned.

 

And oh did that grin do wonders to calm your nerves. You took his suggestion and happily got cozy in his little seating area, telling him about your fights within the Divine Beasts in vivid detail. He was thoroughly interested in your storytelling, seemingly hooked on every word you spoke. Sometimes you would stammer over a word or two when your eyes met his and blushed, practically able to feel his stare on your form.

 

Along with the stories you told, you showed him many of the pictures you’d taken with the camera rune on your Sheikah Slate (“These are fascinating! Real to life imagery, how astounding!”). You noted some of his favorite images; a photograph of a vivid sunset over the ocean when you were in the Akkala region, a photograph of the Lost Woods from a distance where you could see the Great Deku Tree’s bright foliage, and a picture you’d taken of yourself while surrounded by some of the koroks in Korok Forest.

 

You then showed him the Master Sword. As soon as you unsheathed it he looked upon it in wonderment. “The sword that seals the darkness… I have faint memories of my childhood, the few times you visited Zora’s Domain upon becoming the princess’ appointed knight. I remember all the other zora children begging to see the sword, all of us asking you to swing it around and show us what you could do with it. And you did, quite a few times. You always loved entertaining children, making them happy. I never did think I would see this sword in person again, though. At least, not until I met you again…” Sidon explained, trailing off at the end of his sentence as his eyes flicked up from the sword to look into your own.

 

There was a tense silence for just a few moments as you looked at one another. Neither of you moved, neither of you even dared to breathe- it felt like the whole world had even stopped around you. You were the one to break the silence, however, clearing your throat as you sheathed the sword once more. “It’s… getting late. The sun’s begun to set. I should get to Hyrule Castle soon. Everything’s in place and ready, all that’s needed is… me,” you explained, standing up rather abruptly.

 

“Oh…” Sidon said, and you could hear a displeased tone in his voice. He didn’t want you to go. “Well, I’ll be supporting you from here. Every being in Hyrule is rooting for you. You will do great things, my… friend,” he told you, and the pause before the word friend stuck in your mind. He had hesitated.

 

You nodded, before frowning as you cast your gaze to the ground. “Sidon… if… if I don’t return from this venture, I- I-” you began, but the prince quickly cut you off.

 

“There is no need to speak like that. _____ you are more than capable of besting this foe, I am sure of it. I have complete and unwavering faith in you, champion. There is no doubt in my mind that this is not the last time I will be seeing you. This is not a goodbye, please… please, do not treat it as such,” he quickly interrupted, and there was a stark change in his voice.

 

First of all, he was never one to knowingly interrupt. And second, part of him seemed as though he were begging for this not to be a goodbye. As though he needed you to get through this battle, not just for Hyrule, but for his sake as well.

 

Then you realize what had happened to him one hundred years previously. His sister, Mipha, had probably said goodbye to him in a similar way before leaving to pilot Vah Ruta… and then never returning.

 

You nodded, suddenly feeling very emotional. You bid each other farewell, you told him not to send Archimedo to you any time soon, and once again you both hugged before you departed. The hug lasted longer than any of the ones you’d shared previously. Neither of you wanted to let go.

 

Eventually, you separated. And he stood back and watched as you tapped the nearest available location to Hyrule Castle on your Sheikah Slate- the Central Tower. You waved at him solemnly as blue streams lifted you from the ground and took you away from the room… away from Sidon.

 

Moments later your feet met the surface of the tower’s platform, and you were staring dead on at Hyrule Castle. “Show the enemy no fear,” you spoke aloud, sucking in a deep breath before leaping off the edge, opening up your paraglider and gliding straight to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof sorry this took some time. Ya boi got busy
> 
> But yea, somewhat emotional Sidon moments, hooray
> 
> Also. Time to fight big boy Ganon, yayyyyyyyy


	12. The Scourge of Hyrule Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your battle with Ganon has finally arrived, woohoo

The nighttime was eerily quiet as you crept through the fields of central Hyrule. There was no moon in the sky, you assumed it was in its new moon phase, so you used the dark sky as a cover while you snuck through the tall grass. The closer you got to the castle, the more daunting the task ahead grew. 

 

There was no doubt in your mind that the castle would be festering with nasty monsters, tough ones too. Also, all the guardian stalkers around would prove to be a challenge as well. You’d have to get through all of that and then face off with Calamity Ganon himself. You pushed those thoughts away for now, however, knowing that dwelling on that and growing anxious would serve you no favors.

 

You paused in a pavillion of sorts while surveying the area. The castle was straight ahead, a couple hundred feet in front of you. The spot felt oddly familiar. The circular pavement beneath your was cracked and chipped beyond recognition, but you could tell that it used to be apart of a path that would go straight north- right to Hyrule Castle. Four shattered pillars were on the sides, and trickling water surrounded the ruined steps.

 

You stood up straight and gazed up at the towering castle north of you before an odd feeling sent shockwaves throughout you. Stumbling back, you looked around at where you stood once more and went wide-eyed, nostalgia flooding your senses.

 

Shutting your eyes, your thoughts flew back in time, and when you opened them again the pavilion was fixed. The sun was shining and the sky was a sweet blue. You were on bended knee, and before you was Princess Zelda.

 

“Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness… you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity,” she spoke, one hand held before you and eyes closed as she continued on. 

 

She sounded so monotone. So emotionless. You realized that this was before your friendship had blossomed when you’d first become the Hylian Champion and her appointed knight, “and have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection… and we hope that- that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one…”

 

She paused her speech, breathing out a shaky, almost sad sigh. Her hand fell to her side and you glanced up at her briefly to see her solemn expression cast to the floor. When she realized you were staring she quickly raised her hand back up to continue on her speech. It was then that you realized that the four other champions were stood in the pavilion as well, watching your ceremony.

 

Zelda’s words faded into the background as you tuned into what the champions were saying instead. “Gee, this is uplifting,” Daruk sighed, bringing one of his big hands to rub at the back of his head awkwardly, “She’s making it sound like we already lost.”

 

“Wasn’t this your idea?” Revali scoffed, side-eyeing Daruk before turning his attention back to you, “You’re the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster! And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I’m on the same page as the princess regarding… this girl.”

 

Urbosa rolled her eyes at the rito’s words, shaking her head as she placed a hand on her hips, “Oh, give it a rest. That girl is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that’s how the princess sees her.”

 

You noticed Mipha shuffle her feet nervously, but not raise her voice or contribute to the conversation. 

 

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you sensed that even a hundred years ago you knew that portrayal of you couldn’t have been accurate. You and the princess both had separate struggles, you were by no means a perfect person, especially not with your upbringing. Learning that Zelda had a disdain for your talents was a deep cut. You’d seen her as a friend for so long and were sworn to protect her, and knowing that for some time she hadn’t felt the same hurt you… a lot. You got past it, eventually becoming the best of friends until the fallout of the Calamity. Reliving this memory, however, made your mouth feel dry and hurt your heart.

 

Slowly you were pulled out of the memory. Back into the present, in the dark of night, with the corrupted Hyrule Castle ahead of you. Curious, you pulled out the Master Sword from its sheath, using its subtle glimmer to look at your reflection. 

 

You imagined your friends stood before you; Mipha, your childhood friend who you would entrust with anything and everything. Daruk, the one who acted like a protective older brother over you, and though headstrong was a softie who you could tell anything to. Revali, who you at first detested, but once you broke past his barriers and ego, helped him grow true courage and pride for his acts, and who helped you grow as well. And Urbosa, a second mother to you, who always gave guidance and pointed you in the right direction.

 

You imagined Zelda as well, though you knew she was alive. The closer you got to Hyrule Castle, the more you could feel her spirit fighting within it. Fighting for Hyrule.

 

Another person came to mind… Sidon. You wondered if he’d been able to sleep soundly after you’d left, or if he was awake, anxiously waiting to see how you did.

 

A fierce feeling came over you. This wasn’t just a battle to defeat an evil spirit anymore. This was no longer just a battle to save the land. This was a battle to avenge and protect the souls of everyone you’d lost one hundred years ago, and a battle to protect all the new friends you’d made. 

 

You would  **not** fail them.

 

You sheathed the Master Sword, a grin spreading on your face as you set off in a sprint- boots bounding off of the crumbled pavilion as you ran through the fields. Four different stalker guardians spotted you and pointed their beams at you, but you were too quick for any of them to catch up, and you put up Daruk’s Protection so none of them could get to you. 

 

You ran through the shambled ruins of Hyrule Castle Town, memories of the area from a century ago flashing in your mind. You footsteps faltered as you stumbled on the occasion, the sudden influx of rushing thoughts messing with your head. But your adrenaline pushed through and your kept on running and running- until you were at the giant metal entrance to the castle.

 

The Sheikah Slate buzzed on your belt, and you unhooked in to check the screen. You stared in amazement, seeing a full map of the castle laid before you- just like a map of one of the Divine Beasts. At the top of the castle was a bright orange spot labeled ‘Calamity Ganon’.

 

With a nod, you flicked the screen to activate the magnesis rune, pulling back the big metal doors to grant you entry to the building. There was no going back now, and you were more than ready to take this beast down.

 

… 

 

Hours later, you found yourself stood outside of the castle’s Sanctum. The sun was a glimmer in the horizon, slowly rising as it cast a warm glow over you. You shouldered the new shield you’d managed to find in the dungeons of the castle, guarded by a Stalnox. You recognized it from a century ago, with its stark blue color and gold emblems- the Hylian Shield.

 

Unhooking the Sheikah Slate, you checked the map of the castle. You were stood right before Calamity Ganon, but the room looked so calm and empty. You took some slow steps in and gaped at the sight before you.

 

A grotesque, pulsing cocoon of sorts was hung from the ceiling, made of the same goo you’d seen all over Hyrule Castle and within each Divine Beast. It shook violently, as though sensing your presence within the room, and you immediately drew your sword as a precaution. 

 

A glowing, golden light filled your vision though. “_____…” a voice called out, and you immediately recognized it as Zelda’s, “_____… I’m sorry… but my power isn’t strong enough… I can’t hold him-”

 

She was cut off by a bright blue beam shooting out of the cocoon, zipping around the room and cutting into all the walls, and you had to duck to make sure that it wouldn’t buzz your head off. The beam faded away as the cocoon began to steam and smoke billowed out of it before it suddenly burst and some massive form came spilling out of it, crashing onto the floor.

 

The ground beneath your feet cracked and rumbled before giving out, and you barely had time to pull out your paraglider as a massive hole opened up before you, taking the creature that’d come out of the cocoon with it.

 

You glided down into this newly opened chamber, watching in shock as this beast slowly began to shift and gain its own footing. You slid across the floor once you landed, folding the paraglider and pulling out both the Master Sword and your new shield. 

 

The being before you looked like a much more massive version of one of those blights you’d fought within the Divine Beasts. A ginormous hybrid of ancient Sheikah technology and malice, with eight legs like a spider, and an unruly man.

 

The creature turned when it finally spotted you and reared on its hind legs, letting out an ear-shattering roar. And a sudden tense feeling fell onto you when you realized that this being before you was Calamity Ganon. And he was about to tear you to pieces if you didn’t move quickly.

 

You dodged out of the way quickly, narrowly avoiding its massive axe- but both of you stopped moving when the whole castle began to shake violently. You looked up at the hole above you and winced, a bright, blinding blue light filling the space. You heard screams of agony and quickly realized the beam was attacking Ganon, making him weaker. 

 

This was the support from your friends… the four Champions.

 

Knowing they truly had your back this whole time filled you with pride and adrenaline, and as soon as the beam faded and you had an opening you launched an ancient arrow directly into Ganon’s eye, watching him writhe as you brought out the Master Sword to slice at him a good few times.

 

If you were able to keep this up you’d have him taken down in no time.

 

… 

 

After an agonizing battle, you laid one final blow on Calamity Ganon, he staggered before letting out a screech as the black goo oozed out of him. A bright pink light enveloped him, making you step back to protect yourself, and next thing you knew his spirit swirled around the room, before zipping up and out of the opening in the ceiling. 

 

A golden light wrapped around you and you were very soon being lifted out as well. The light set you down in the fields of Hyrule, and judging by where the sun was in the sky it was still morning. People all across Hyrule would be waking up right about now.

 

You turned and were shocked to see your horse, Persephone, stood behind you, munching on some grass lazily. “Persy, why are you here-” you began, but not a moment later you had your answer.

 

Calamity Ganon’s spirit and essence swirled into a massive form out in the field. “Ganon…” Zelda spoke, and you felt relief knowing that her spirit was still alive and well, “Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again…”

 

As the princess spoke, Calamity Ganon took a new shape. “He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before.”

 

It’s new shape was some kind of hulking, pig-like beast, with massive tusks and bright flames protruding from it’s back. “I entrust you with the Bow of Light- a powerful weapon in the face of evil. _____… you may not be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories… but courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.”

 

You watched the Bow of Light descend from the sky and settle between you and Ganon. Immediately you hopped onto Persephone’s back, grabbing the reins and setting her off at a quick pace. She sped off through the tall grass, and you reached out your hand to grab the bow and prepared yourself to take on this beast.

 

You pulled out one of your arrows and pulled it back in the Bow of Light, Persephone knowing what to do and run a circle around Ganon. As soon as you set the arrow, it began to glow a soft golden light.

 

“The energy covering Ganon’s body is called Malice. None of your attacks will get through as he now is. I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning. Attack any glowing points you see!” Zelda explained, and as though on cue she managed to summon three glowing points on his body.

 

You aimed carefully, making sure you’d arch the arrow so it landed directly in the center of the circle. You loosed the arrow, it flew through the air and made a direct hit. You cheered excitedly, steering Persephone around to get closer to another glowing point on his shoulder, aiming to shoot another arrow.

 

This went on for a few minutes, and in between each arrow you shot was a game of dodging attacks from Ganon, making sure that neither you or Persephone got hurt. You could tell you had Ganon at the end of his rope, just one more shot would do, but you couldn’t see the spot the next area to shoot at him.

 

While you were so distracted trying to find his next weak spot, Ganon managed to catch you off guard. He shot out a wave of fire and knocked you right off Persephone’s back. Your horse, in a panic, sprinted away in fear.

 

Groaning, you picked yourself up off of the grass, your clothing singed at the edges. Your fumbling hands reached for the Bow of Light, and you felt your adrenaline beginning to fade. Standing up straight, you stared down Ganon. He reared his head back and shot another wave of flames your way, this one you managed to dodge. 

 

The lit ground kicked up an updraft, and you squint your eyes as you look up at Ganon one more time. You could see the glowing spot. It was on the top of his head. Pulling out your paraglider, you used the updraft he’d inadvertently made to your advantage and flew up into the air. 

 

Once you were all the way up, you could see a massive eye opened on his head, staring back at you. You lodged an arrow and time slowed down around you. You let the golden arrow fly and strike him straight in his weak spot.

 

You glided down onto the ground and landed, stumbling back as you watched Ganon screech and writhe around, enraged. Before you could move another inch, a golden being floated down, and you grew speechless when you realized it was the princess.

 

Her feet touched the grassy field and she faced off with Ganon. You tried to force your feet to move, to stand beside her, but you couldn’t muster up the energy. The golden light from Zelda grew brighter and brighter as Ganon roared and growled, his spirit growing angry. His physical form melted into his swirling one once more, the one that used to engulf the castle.

 

He swirled up into the air, before wrapping around and heading straight towards the princess. “Zelda!” you screamed, trying to force yourself to run, but only collapsing into the grass instead.

 

You watched as she lifted up her hand, the symbol of the triforce glowing on the back of her palm as a sphere of golden light grew and enveloped the field, pushing Ganon back and effectively killing him off.

 

… He was gone. You’d done it. Both of you. Not just both of you, but the champions as well. Everyone who’d helped you along the way.

 

“I’ve been keeping watch over you all this time… I’ve witnessed your struggled to return to us as well as your trials in battle. I always thought- no, I always believed- that you would find a way to defeat Ganon,” Zelda spoke softly, turning to look at you with a smile on her lips, “I never lost faith in you over these many years… Thank you, _____… the hero of Hyrule. May I ask… do you really remember me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowie this one was kinda long. no Sidon in this chapter, sadly, but fish prince will be back very soooooon


	13. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calamity Ganon is gone... so... now what

The wind felt oddly cool despite it being summer. Calamity Ganon had been slain and an air of peace had settled over Hyrule. That morning, people all over Hyrule had awoken to a terrifying blood-red sky. Anyone with a vantage point could’ve seen the beast that was Ganon in the fields of Central Hyrule, battling with the Champion _____. And when Princess Zelda finally descended and used her sealing magic to put Ganon and rest once and for all, it’s golden light could’ve been seen all across the lands.

 

The people of Hyrule began to rejoice. Camps of monsters that had once terrorized civilians seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye. Ancient Guardian Stalkers that once prowled the land looking for anything to shoot at now glowed blue and were docile. The intimidating pillars that stuck out of the ground around Hyrule Castle were now blue as well, instead of the once menacing red that represented Calamity Ganon.

 

At the front gates to the castle stood Princess Zelda and you, her appointed knight, Hylian Champion _____. Their battle had ended and they were both exhausted, but Zelda informed you she wanted to see the castle before leaving to a village or stable to rest. You escorted her up to the gates, neither of you speaking much, too tired to have a true conversation.

 

The malice and monsters that once infested the castle were all gone. The building was silent and still now, not a soul inside. An odd feeling took over as you gazed upon it. You were both happy yet sad at the same time. Melancholic.

 

You glanced over at the princess and she turned to you, tears brimming in her eyes. She smiled weakly and you offered your hand to her. She took it gratefully and the two of you began to walk away., As you walked, you unhooked your Sheikah Slate, looking for the nearest place to rest.

 

After a few moments of walking, Zelda broke the silence. “So, with the Sheikah Slate you can travel to any marked point on the map?” she asked curiously, and you found yourself smiling at the question. One hundred years later and she was still curious and eager to learn.

 

“Each shrine, tower, Divine Beast, and even tech lab has this thing called a travel gate. Using the Sheikah Slate, I can automatically travel to any place that I’ve accessed with the slate before,” you explained.  
  
“So, hypothetically, you could travel to someplace like Kakariko village in less than an hour, from anywhere in Hyrule, so long as you have a travel gate nearby,” she continued on.   
  
You laughed quietly and looked over at her, “Zelda, if you want to go to Kakariko village to see Impa you can tell me. We can test and see if it can transport both of us at once, and if it doesn’t work I’ll come right back here and we’ll travel there on foot.”

 

She pursed her lips, even after all these years you could still read her like an open book. “Yes… I want to go to Kakariko village,” she admitted in a quiet voice, slightly peeved that you could predict her so well.

 

“Alright, then let’s try it. There’s a shrine on the cliffs right above the village that we can travel to,” you informed her. You swiped across the map on the slate and selected the Ta’loh Naeg shrine right outside of Kakariko village.

 

You tightened your grip on Zelda’s hand and she did the same to yours, and within seconds both of you were lifted off of the ground, blue streams of light wrapping around the two of you and sending you away.

 

Not a moment later, you landed on the shrine’s platform. Zelda stumbled for a moment, and you quickly helped her stabilize. “That was… an interesting feeling,” she said with a giggle as you stepped off of the shrine and onto the grass.

 

The sun was higher up in the sky now, and you estimated it was roughly noon. As you and the princess took the path down the cliffs and into the village, you could see practically everyone who lived within Kakariko out and about. They seemed to be having a small celebration of sorts.

 

Sheikah children ran around waving blue banners, there was a table of food set up which made your mouth water, and you could even see Lady Impa outside with her granddaughter Paya taking part of the festivities.

 

As soon as they noticed the two of you everyone went silent. Zelda stepped away from you, and everyone turned to watch as she quickly walked towards Impa, embracing her in a hug. Zelda and Impa had a quick conversation in hushed tones. The elder nodded thoughtfully as the princess took a step back, and cleared her throat before making an announcement to her village.

 

“The princess has confirmed it. She and the Hylian Champion have rid this land of Calamity Ganon!”

 

The people cheered loudly and began thanking both you and the princess profusely. After talking to a few people, a wave of exhaustion fell over you, and you could tell Zelda was feeling the same. The innkeeper offered to let both of you stay cost-free, which led to the two of you passing out on your own beds and sleeping for a whole day straight.

 

For the first time in quite some time, you had dreams as you slept. Peaceful dreams, and though you couldn’t remember much of them once you finally woke up, you had fleeting memories of a familiar, sharp-toothed grin when you awoke.

 

…

 

Two days later both you and the princess were well rested and very well fed. Zelda hadn’t realized how hungry she was after being locked in the castle for a century, but she absolutely did not hold back when offered a cooked meal by one of the children in Kakariko village, Koko. Impa even had some of Zelda’s old clothing saved within her home, clothing that had managed to survive the Calamity. The princess took the clothes gratefully and decided she’d keep these sets until she could procure some new ones.

 

Currently the two of you were traveling north. Lady Impa had sent letters to leaders all across the land informing them that Ganon’s defeat was confirmed. You were all surprised when you received a return letter from King Dorephan, but after reading it Zelda explained that the two of you were going to head to the Lanayru region as soon as possible.

 

You’d been traveling by horse, you on Persephone, and Zelda on a pure-white steed that she’d named Storm. Zelda admitted that while traveling via the Sheikah Slate was much faster, it wasn’t exactly comfortable unless it was necessary in an emergency. Since there was no true rush, you could take your time traveling now.

 

You paused for a rest in some of the higher fields overlooking Hyrule, allowing both horses to snack on grass and apples for the meantime. From this spot you could see practically everything in the land; all four Divine Beasts, though none were shooting beams at the castle anymore, there was the Korok forest and the Great Deku tree out in the distance as well, and of course, Hyrule Castle right in the center.

 

“We’ll make our way to Zora’s Domain. Divine Beast Vah Ruta… looks like it stopped working,” Zelda explained, showing you the screen of the Sheikah Slate, and sure enough Ruta’s symbol was no longer blue on the map meaning it had been deactivated, “let’s investigate the situation.”

 

She paused, looking out across the land, and you could tell she was deep in thought. “Mipha’s father… I believe he would like to hear more about her. The least we can do is visit him and offer him some closure. Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do… and so many painful memories that we must bear. I believe in my heart, that if all of us work together we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps… even beyond. But it all must start with us,” she explained, looking over to you with a soft smile.

 

You nodded at her and her smile turned into a grin as she began to walk towards your horses. “Let’s be off,” she started, before stopping in her tracks, “I… can no longer hear the voice inside the sword. I suppose it would make sense if my power had swindled over the past one hundred years…”

 

She turned to look at you with some concern, which slowly blossomed into a smile, “I’m surprised to admit it… But I can accept that.” she giggled a bit to herself, and you shook your head before sprinting over.  
  
The two of you set off after that conversation, and you grinned as you thought of a little challenge. Part of you was quite excited to be heading to Zora’s Domain, the thought of seeing Sidon had you a bit giddy. You brought your right hand to touch your left bicep- the fish prince’s silver band was big enough to fit snug on your arm.

As your horses made their way through the tall grass slowly, a sudden and mischievous idea came to mind. “Zelda, you’ve got the slate now meaning you’ve also got the map. I know this area like the back of my hand, so… first one to get to Zora’s Domain wins!” you exclaimed, before grabbing Persephone’s reins and snapping them, making her leap into a gallop.

 

“Hey!” Zelda yelled with a laugh, and you could hear the sound of Storm kicking into action and following closely behind.

 

…

 

The sun had begun to set and was casting a warm glow over the land once you reached Zora’s Domain. Persephone’s hooves best against the smooth flooring of the Great Zora Bridge as you approached the entrance to the domain.

 

Pulling back on her reigns, you brought her to a gentle halt once you reached the plaza. “Good job, Perse,” you said with a smile, patting her mane. She whinnied as you hopped off, and quickly ate up the apple you offered to her after that long ride.

 

You only had time to take one step before a voice stopped you in your tracks.

 

“_____!”

 

You spun on your heels when you heard your name- you immediately recognized it as Sidon. A grin spread on your face when you saw him, he was quickly making his way down the steps towards you. As soon as he reached you he engulfed you in a hug, quite literally sweeping your feet off the ground.

 

You laughed as he spun you around, and had to hold onto his shoulders so you could keep yourself stable. Your embrace had drawn attention from some nearby Zora, the guards watching were very clearly amused, and some children were watching and giggling to themselves.

 

After a moment or so Sidon set you down, the biggest grin you’d ever seen on his face. “My father told me the news once Lady Impa sent out her letters. I’d been watching the sky, of course, I was up in the early morning and was caught off guard completely when the Divine Beast suddenly shot bright blue beams towards the castle. That light woke practically everyone in the domain up,” he explained to you, a look of relief finding his face, “I have so much more to talk to you about later, and so much I want to hear about… preferably in private. But I’m just so incredibly glad that you’re alive and well.”

 

You had a few more moments to converse before the sound of a horse galloping came closer. The two of you turned to the Great Zora Bridge where you could spot a pure-white steed bounding closer, and a disgruntled looking princess upon his back.

 

“_____, that was not fair and you know it, you took shortcuts!” Zelda sighed, bringing Storm to a stop next to Persephone. Though she was annoyed, you could sense the humor in her voice. She wasn’t actually mad at you, just peeved that she didn’t win.

 

Sidon gasped and quickly kneeled before Zelda, a sign of respect. “Your majesty! Allow me to welcome you to our domain-” he began, but Zelda cut him off with a small giggle as you dismounted from her horse.

 

“Prince Sidon, please, there’s no need for formalities, you can stand up straight,” she told him, and he quickly did get up, “You’ve grown so much- well of course you have, it’s been a hundred years. But last time I saw you, you were barely above my waist, and your head fin was as long as you were.”

 

Sidon chuckled, nodding his head with a smile, “yes, it has been quite some time, princess. I believe the last time I saw you was the Champion ceremony when you granted each champion their titles. But as we all know, that was very long ago. However, we can discuss the past at a later time. For now, my father would like to see both of you, and I’m sure you would like to check on the Divine Beast as well.”

 

You and Zelda both nodded and followed him up the staircases, into the throne room. King Dorephan had seemingly been in the middle of a conversation with Muzu as you walked in, and he grinned at the sight of you and the princess.

 

“Princess Zelda! How good it is to see you after all this time, please do come closer, we have things to talk about,” he beamed, and Zelda smiled right back at him as you came closer to his platform.

 

The five of you had an in-depth conversation, discussing the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Muzu explained how after Ruta shot its final beam at Ganon, it’s blue light had faded and it seemingly just turned off. Sidon had ventured up to its place on the cliffs with some guards to investigate but they couldn’t find the problem- let alone a possible solution.

 

“Well, I did do a great deal of studying each Divine Beast before the calamity,” Zelda began, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she turned to look south where Ruta was mounted on the cliff tops, “if my memory serves me right, Ruta gets its power from the orbs upon its back. That power then courses through the rest of the body, allowing it movement. If it’s run out of power, I would assume that it must be an issue with one of the four orbs, or maybe even all of them.”

 

She turned to you before looking down at the Sheikah Slate, reading something on the screen before nodding her head, “In the morning we can make our way up the mountain and check on the Divine Beast ourselves, _____. What do you think?”

 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” you smiled, nodding your head, “We can sleep at the inn tonight-”

 

“No, please rest in one of the guest chambers of the palace- we cannot have royalty staying in the inn, unguarded!” Muzu quickly interrupted.  
  
You turned to Zelda, allowing her to make the decision for both of you. “Well… I suppose if it’s not too much trouble, then I see why not,” she answered, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

 

“Perfect! I’ll see to it that preparations are made as soon as possible so the two of you may relax comfortably this evening. In the meantime, I implore you to enjoy commodities in our domain,” the king suggested with a softer smile, and you nodded your head as you turned to Sidon and Zelda.

  
“Well, I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m starving. Sidon, you know where we can get some food?” you asked, and he merely chuckled at the question.   
  
“Young one, of course I do,” he grinned, and both you and Zelda followed him out of the throne room, the three of you in your own conversation as you did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I love princess Zelda so much in this game. Best Zelda out of any of the games imo


	14. Odd Sense of Nostalgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the princess have arrived in Zora's Domain.... so what now?

A few minutes later you were stuffed with various seafoods- crab cakes, sauteed fish, escargot, fish and rice bowls. A happy and content sigh passed your lips as you sank back into your seat, but the sounds of laughter made you perk up immediately.

 

“What’re you two laughing at?” you asked in an accusatory manner, glancing over at the two who sat across from you at the table. Princess Zelda was giggling softly as she sipped on some water, and Sidon chuckled quietly as he looked down at your slumped form.

 

He set down the plate he had been eating from and cleaned his hands with a pleated napkin that had been laid out by one of the servants. “Young one, we merely find your antics humorous. Well, I do believe each of us has finished our meals, is there anything the two of you would like to see in particular?”   
  
Zelda quickly perked up, a little smile on her face that you knew signified she had an idea. “Well, a few times when I visited to meet with Mipha I spent time in the library of the palace… could you maybe show me where it is, Sidon? I have some reading I’d like to do, I remember Mipha had penned a journal stowed in the library that held everything she’d learned about Vah Ruta before the Calamity,” she explained, setting her glass down as she glanced over at the prince.

 

“Oh, of course,” he replied, his eyes lighting up a bit at the mention, “we could use her notes to try and solve the issue with the Divine Beast tomorrow, I’m sure it could prove quite useful. Maybe it has a solution to possible energy shortages that she may have sorted out in the past.”   
  
The two of you got up from the table, and a servant of the palace quickly came over to clean up the plates and glasses you’d left behind. Prince Sidon wasted no time in guiding you and the princess through the domain, down steps that lead beneath the throne room. You vaguely recognize these hallways from when you’d paid Sidon a visit before heading to fight Ganon on your own.   
  
You didn’t take the same path, however. At a certain point, you went down a different hallway and found yourselves in a circular room. It wasn’t too big, more so the size of a study or office, but what did stand out about it was that each wall was covered in all sorts of books and rolls of parchment. More books were in stacks on the floor and piled on the table in the center of the room.   
  
The only light in the room came from a candle in the center, making the room dim but giving a soothing atmosphere. You walked around and examined the shelves curiously. You pulled one of the books out and examined it- it was clearly very old, the spine and cover weathered from years of use and reading. You couldn’t read the letters on the front very well, but even if you could you wouldn’t be able to decipher what they said as the alphabet used was one you didn’t recognize.   
  
You heard a gleeful sound behind you, and you turned to see Zelda rushing around the table one of the shelves opposite of the door. She pulled out a small journal- it couldn’t be more than thirty pages long, but when she set it down on the table and flipped it open, you marveled at just how much was written on each page. Mipha, who penned the book, had wasted no space, filling in each and every line and margin that she could to mark these notes down.   
  
“Perfect. Luckily for us, the princess had some beautiful handwriting and brilliant organization, so it shouldn’t be an issue to read through. I’ll be here reading through this, and maybe a few other books as well. If it gets too late, come and remind me of the time, I tend to absorb myself in my studies without realizing it,” Zelda explained, and you smiled as you nodded your head.   
  
She sat herself down at the table, using the candlelight to read through the late princess’ notes. You and Sidon glanced over at one another, and you shrugged your shoulders. You put the old book back on the shelf and stepped out of the room, Sidon following suit so the two of you could give Zelda some privacy.    
  
“So…” you breathed out as you began to walk down the hallway, “How do you suggest we spend the rest of the evening?”

 

Sidon tapped his chin as he seemingly thought about it before a little grin found his face. “Well, I do remember your excellent marksmanship a few weeks ago, back when we first worked together to calm Ruta,” he began, looking down at you with curious eyes, “I would very much like to see an example of that skill once more.”

 

You smiled a bit mischievously, nodding your head at the suggestion, “I have no issues with that, just get me a bow and some arrows and a target to hit, and I’ll be able to show you anything you’d like to see.”

 

… 

 

A few hours later, you and Sidon were heading back down to Zora’s Domain after going to an archery range set up for Zora Guards in training. You’d had quite a fun time showing off for the prince. After climbing up to the range, he gave you a silver bow and some ice arrows stored away there, then set up three targets for you to shoot at.    
  
The first you hit somewhat off the center, and you blamed it on you being a bit rusty after not having a bow on hand for a few days. The next two you shot were perfect bullseyes, earning you some hearty applause from the fish prince himself.   
  
You stuck your tongue out at him, feeling cocky as you aimed up at the sky. You performed an arched shot, and both you and the prince watched as the blue arrow flew up in the air, sailing overhead, before arching and falling and hitting the center target.   
  
You’d earned a fair amount of praise from the prince after that. For the next hour or so, the two of you mainly goofed off as you picked up everything you’d taken out of storage at the range. As the two of you followed the path to go back to the Domain, you plucked some flowers from the ground, plucking the petals and letting them go so you could watch them dance in the wind.   
  
A calm silence fell over the two of you, though you could tell Sidon had things he wanted to say. This wasn’t the first time you’d sensed a tension between you, but you knew that neither of you was brave enough to bring it up.    
  
A little sigh passed your lips as you let another petal go. This one acted strangely, it swirled around in the wind, circling both you and Sidon, before fluttering away as a normal petal would. You turned to look at it curiously, wondering why it had done that, wondering if it had been symbolic of something.   
  
But you shrugged your shoulders as you dropped the petal-less stem on the ground, and you and the prince merely continued your walk back.

 

… 

 

Once you’d returned to the library to check on Zelda, it was roughly eleven o’clock at night. You peered into the circular room and giggled at the sight- the princess had fallen asleep at the table, a few books opened in front of her that she’d been no doubt reading before passing out.   
  
“Oh dear, should we wake her up?” Sidon asked, looking down at you.

 

You shook your head as you walked over, knowing Zelda was a deep sleeper so you weren’t too worried about simple noise waking her up. You lifted her head up and moved so you could hook your arms beneath her legs and behind her back. You easily lifted her up since she was lighter than you and you had the strength from all your journeys and battles.   
  
You carried her in your arms as you stepped out, and Sidon kept himself quiet, clearly not wanting to disturb her. “I’ll show you to the guest room so we can get her up to bed,”  he whispered gently, ushering you down the hallway as you held the sleeping princess.

 

A few minutes later you’d found the room. It wasn’t too unlike the prince’s own chambers, lit by luminous stone lamps, with two beds and a pool of water, likely for a zora guest. Sidon opened the door from you and you walked in, setting Zelda down on one of the beds with her head on the pillow.

 

You took a few steps back, closer to Sidon who’d stayed in the doorway as to not intrude. “I believe you should be able to find some clothing in the drawers, some robes or comfy articles, just so you don’t have to stay in this clothing for your whole stay,” he explained, giving you a soft smile as he spoke quietly.   
  
“Thank you, Sidon,” you reply softly, smiling back at him, “Well, I suppose this is good night. I’ll see you in the morning, I think we all need some rest for our quest ahead of us.”

 

He nodded his head, “Yes, indeed. Good night, young one, I shall see you in the morning.”

 

With that, he lowered his head and turned to head down the hallway towards his own chambers. You watched him take a few steps before shutting the door. You huffed a sleepy breath of air as you turned. You took a moment to look through the drawers, pulling out navy blue robes that were soft to the touch.

 

You discarded your tunic and pants, leaving on your undergarments as you wrapped the robe around you and tied its sash around your waist. You got cozy in the second bed, and before long you were drifting off into a comfortable sleep.

 

… that was until you woke with a start. Something had startled you awake, and you jumped up in bed, your breathing erratic. You looked around, heartbeat calming as you realized there was no sudden danger- nothing in the room other than you and Zelda, who was still sound asleep. You had no clue what time of night it was, but it felt well past midnight.

 

You pushed the covers off and got out of the bed, needing fresh air to clean your head. You exited the room quietly and made your way down the hall, keeping your robe tied tight to contrast the cool of the night. You walked aimlessly, no real destination in mind until you realize you’d ended up nearby the main plaza of the domain.

 

Your steps were soundless as you entered the plaza, but you halted your movements at the sound of a voice. You curiously peered around and saw that it was Sidon speaking in front of Mipha’s statue. You couldn’t quite pick up on the words since his tone was soft and quiet… and quite sad.

 

You didn’t want to interrupt, but at the same time, you wanted to check and see if he was okay. Slowly you took some steps forward, and it didn’t take Sidon long to notice you. “Oh… _____, what are you doing up at this time?” he asked, clearing his throat as he turned his attention to you from the stature.

 

“I um, couldn’t sleep. Woke up and needed some air. I could also ask you why you’re awake,  though,” you respond, flicking your gaze up to the statue, “do you… come out here and talk to her often?”

 

“On night’s where I can’t sleep well, like this one,” he replies, nodding his head slowly, “... which tend to be more often than nights when I get good sleep. I find her easy to talk to, however. She helps me find peace when I’m feeling turmoil.”

“Pardon me if this is invasive, but are you feeling turmoil right now?” you ask curiously, not wanting to make him uncomfortable if he doesn’t want to speak on it.

 

His brow furrowed a bit as he looked down at the ground, thinking about your question. “A bit, yes… okay, a fair amount of turmoil, I cannot lie to you easily, young one,” he answered truthfully, flitting his gaze from the ground up to you, “Now pardon me if I’m invasive, but I have a question for you that’s been weighing on me for some time now.”

 

Now you looked up at him, curious about what he wanted to know. “Sure.. go ahead and ask,” you mutter, shrugging your shoulders nonchalantly. 

 

“... did you love my sister?”

 

The question caught you off guard. You mull it over in your mind, not sure how to answer. “I… I loved her as a friend. We were best friends when we were young, before you were even born. I grew up faster than she did, being a Hylian, and by the time she’d caught up to me in maturity I’d gone through my royal guard training. It had changed me as a person and I no longer had free time after that. The only times Mipha and I spent together after that was when the champions would hold meetings. I always knew she felt a certain way about me… but I just had too much on my shoulders to ever look into how I felt about her. If things had gone differently I think I could have loved her… but things didn’t go that way.”

 

Sidon reached a hand towards you, holding your cheek gently and swiping his thumb across it. You took a moment to realize he was wiping a tear off of your cheek. Your tearful gaze looked up and met his own, and you quickly realize he was crying as well.

 

You smiled a little weakly, raising a hand to place it on his as he continued to hold your cheek, “why… why are you crying, Sidon?”

 

He shook his head, closing his eyes, “I don’t quite know, _____. But thank you for answering the question, “I do think you should get back to bed though. Just because I can live without sleeping doesn’t mean you can do the same.”

 

“Okay… can… can you walk me back to my room?” you asked, and he smiled sweetly as he gazed down at you.

 

“Of course, young one. Anything for you.”

 

The walk back to the guest room was quiet. You and the prince walked side by side, close, your bodies brushing up against each other but neither of you cared to move apart. Once outside of the door to the guest room, you look up at him. There was an understanding between you, yet neither of you had spoken a word since being up at the plaza.   
  
You were sleepy, but before you could open the door Sidon stopped you. He leaned down and pressed a very gentle, very sweet kiss to your forehead. You blushed, and he had a blush on his cheeks as well as he stood up straight.

 

You bid each other good night, and you crept back into the room silently, a feeling of happiness surging throughout you… but you couldn’t quite figure out it’s source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopsie doopsie, got busy and forgot to write more. Sorry y'all, hope this makes up for it


	15. Tides of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit more preparation before you head out to fix the Divine Beast

That morning you were awoken by a rather energetic Zelda. She’d already ushered you awake by pulling the blinds open, filling the room with sunlight that overpowered the light of the blue lamps. You tried to blink some of the sleep from your eyes as you watched her scamper around the room, getting ready.

 

“We’ve got some rather important tasks ahead of us, _____. Fixing the Divine Beast will be no easy feat, and I can’t quite imagine what’s wrong with its mechanics. I searched through all of Mipha’s notes last night, and even through other books and records hat made mention of Vah Ruta, but I couldn’t find a single thing about a shortage of energy,” she explained as she changed into some clothing the servants had left.  
  
You slid out of the bed, cringing as your bare feet met the cold stone floor of the room. You stood and walked over to the drawers, debating in your head whether or not you should put on the same outfit as yesterday or try your hand at some of the zora clothing. You pulled out a soft deep blue tunic and examined it thoughtfully before the princess quickly caught your attention once more.    
  
“Well,” she began, pulling her braided hair back as she looked up at you, “I’m going to head down to the library and grab Mipha’s journal, just in case it does offer us some help. Why don’t you go and find Sidon and we can all meet up in the plaza in roughly twenty minutes.”

 

You nodded your head curtly in response and she gave you a sincere smile before stepping out of the room. Once she was out of the room you shrugged off the robe you’d fallen asleep in. You took a quick minute to wash up in the pool of water in the room, using your nails to scrub at your skin and get off any grime and dirt and sweat that’d built up during your journey from Kakariko to Zora’s Domain.

 

Once out of the pool, you grabbed a towel from a stack that’d been laid out in the room, savoring the soft feel of the fabric as you dried off and walked back over to the drawers of clothing. You pulled on the blue tunic you’d been looking at earlier, careful not to mess up your hair too much. You found a pair of pants in the drawers as well that were similar to leggings- they would’ve been very form fitting if you wore them, likely to make swimming easier since the fabric felt like it could be worn in water.

 

You tugged on those pants and afterward put your boots on as well. You took a few moments to fix your hair and make it presentable, merely using your hands to do so since there was no brush or comb in the room.

 

Once satisfied with your general appearance you walked over to the bag of items you’d brought along with you and pulled out a chest piece- the Zora Armor that’d been gifted to you weeks prior. You put it on over the tunic you were wearing, making sure each part was secure. You felt confident in this armor, it had significant value to you.

 

After defeating Ganon you looked at this armor differently. Previously it was a piece of armor you wore rarely- in fact, you’d only worn it once when you and Sidon were trying to calm Vah Ruta so you could board it. You hadn’t put it on since, even after Cotera repaired and upgraded it.

 

Then the armor had been a mystery to you. Something from your past that you knew next to nothing about. It was made by a girl who loved you- Princess Mipha, one of your best friends who fought by your side until her bitter end. You lost her to Ganon.

 

But now Ganon was gone and your memories had returned to you. You saw the armor she crafted for you in a new light. You’d avenged her- along with the three other champions and practically all of Hyrule. You could wear this armor in confidence now, knowing that when you wore it you wore it for her.

 

You may not have loved Mipha in the same way she loved you but she was still one of your best friends, even now that she’d passed. But her soul was at rest now, and even you knew that she would’ve never been happy if you carried guilt with you.

 

Once you had the armor on, there were two more things you needed. One, the master sword. You hooked it’s sheath around your torso and grabbed the sword, grinning when you felt the energy from the sword hum in your hold. You maneuvered your arm and tucked the sword away as your other hand reached into the bag.

 

Your fingers found a cool metal and you quickly pulled out a band- the bracelet that Sidon had gifted you after your first meeting. You turned it in your hand, smiling at it fondly, before slipping it on your arm and letting it sit on your bicep over the armor.

 

You used one of the mirrors in the room to give yourself one final look over, before heading out in search of Sidon.

 

…

 

Roughly ten minutes later you and the prince were walking side by side up a set of stairs. When you’d gotten to his room, you were surprised to see that he’d just woken up. He explained to you that after your conversation from the night before he’d been able to achieve some sound sleep, and was actually able to sleep in for once.

 

After he shook himself awake and got dressed- well, dressed as the zora did, really just adorned himself in accessories, the two of you were heading to the plaza to meet with Zelda. A soft blush dusted your cheeks as you walked beside him, though you’d been tired last night you vividly remembered the kiss he’d placed on your forehead after bringing you back to your room.

 

It seemed as though Sidon had something similar on his mind, as a faint blue tint had settled on his face, contrasting his bright red scales. You pulled your gaze away from his face though, not wanting to be caught staring, and instead brought it down to the floor- before something caught your eye.

 

You found yourself staring at one of his hands, and noticed he was wearing a ring on his pinky finger. It was a teal color and felt oddly familiar to you, yet you couldn’t figure out why… until it hit you.

 

“Wait a minute- are you wearing the earring I gave you as a ring?” you asked him, a grin on your face as you laughed a bit.

 

He jumped a bit at the sudden question since you’d been silent moments before. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at his hand with a look on his face that also seemed like he’d forgotten he was wearing the ring. “Oh- oh yes, I had it resized a small bit so I could wear it, just so it wouldn’t be easily lost and I could use it if I ever needed to contact you with Archimedo,” he answered, using his other hand to brush his fingers across the ring, and you noticed the blush on his face increased.

 

You giggled a little, finding his reaction quite charming. “Ah, don’t feel embarrassed about it, I’ve been wearing your bracelet too,” you reply, showing him your arm.

 

“Well, I suppose great minds think alike,” he smirked, showing off his sharp teeth with a bit of a sly grin, “now then, we’re supposed to find Princess Zelda, yes-”

 

But before he could finish talking he was interrupted by yelling. Multiple voices yelling. Yelling… children?

 

“Miss _____!! Hylian Champion!”

 

“Prince Sidon, Prince Sidon!!”

 

Both you and the prince looked at each other quite confused, before turning towards the plaza. You saw four zora children running directly towards you at top speed, and had to brace yourself when two of them tackled you and clung on to your legs.

 

“Woah there, give me a bit of a warning before a surprise attack like that you guys,” you laughed, turning to look at Sidon and the two other children who stood in front of you.

 

“We’ve been looking for you all over, Miss _____, we’ve been wanting to make you your gift!!” one of the children who was grabbing onto you exclaimed. This one was a young boy- well, young for a zora, he could have easily been a few decades old already. He had bright blue scales, a similar blue to the tunic you wore beneath your armor. If you remembered correctly, this was Tumbo, he’d eagerly introduced himself to you and the ceremony a few weeks ago when you’d appeased Vah Ruta.

 

“A gift? Oh I remember Sidon mentioning that you all had a surprise for me,” you replied thoughtfully, and you could see the little smile playing on Sidon’s lips as he watched you interact with the kids.

 

“Yes, but we need time to make it! Are you staying in the domain again today?” one of the other kids asked curiously- this one wasn’t hanging onto your body, but instead standing and looking up at you intently. This was a young zora girl, though you could tell from her demeanor that she must’ve been older than Tumbo. Her scales were red, similar to Sidon’s but not quite as bright as his, and you tried to rack your head to recall her name- you believed it was Finley, but you weren’t so sure.

 

Sidon piped up this time to answer the question, walking over to stand behind you so the children could look up at the two of you at the same time. “Well, _____, Princess Zelda and I are all going on a little bit of a venture today-” he began, earning a disappointed groan from all four kids, “however, I estimate we should return before nightfall, and that gives you ample time to prepare this surprise of yours,” he continued on, placing his hands on your shoulders as he spoke.

 

The children cheered at this, but you found yourself flustered and a bit distracted at his touch on your shoulders. It felt somehow intimate, him standing so close behind you with his hold on you this way, but you shook it from your mind.

 

“Oh great! We’ve got a few hours guys, let’s get going-” one of the other children exclaimed, the one that was on your other leg. This little zora also has red scales, similar to Finley’s. She seemed to be closer in age to Tumbo, and if you remembered correctly this was Laruta.

 

The four children quickly scuttled away, and one of them stalled for a moment to look back at you. “Um, thank you Miss _____, for everything you’ve done. Also, you should come to our family’s general store again,” she said shyly, before turning to catch up with her friends. She had blue scales, almost exactly like Tumbo’s, and you believed that this was his sister Keye, who would’ve been the youngest of the bunch.

 

A little grin settled on your face when you watched them run off, and you looked up to see Sidon staring down at you with a soft smile, almost in an admiring way.

 

“W-what?” you asked him with a little blush, wanting to hide your face but not able to run away from this.

 

“It’s nothing, young one, you’re just rather good with children, I haven’t quite noticed this since I myself was a child,” he replied, tilting his head to the side as his hold on your shoulders loosened, “you captivate them. You even got little Laruta to look up to you, and normally all she can stare at is me. I’m very sure she’s apart of my- er…  _fan club_.”

 

You giggled, and as you laughed you happened to lean back and bump your back against his torso. You both stilled, eyes going wide. Somehow that touch was different- you were accustomed to friendly hugs, but after that forehead kiss you’d received last night, every time the two of you touched now felt…. different.

 

Things were changing between you can the prince. You just weren’t quite sure how.

 

You moved forward, and Sidon’s hands fell off of your shoulders. You coughed a bit awkwardly, trying to rid your face of the blush that’d settled.

 

“My apologies, was that too much-” Sidon began, but you quickly interrupted him.

 

“No no no, it’s um… it’s fine, it was fine, you’re fine… um… yeah…” you trailed off.

 

An awkward silence fell between the two of you. Oh, you hated this. You didn’t want to be awkward with him. You guys were good friends, right? Friends… why did you hate calling Sidon your friend? You just didn’t like how it sounded.

 

Before your mind could torture itself with those questions anymore though, a voice called out to both of you and broke the silence.

 

“Sidon, _____! Are both of you ready?”

 

You turned to see Zelda walking across the plaza towards you, flanked with a group of four zora guards. “The king thought it best that we bring some protection with us. The monster presence has lessened greatly since Ganon's downfall, but it’s good to be well prepared.”

 

She had a bookbag with her, which you could only assume carried some of the journals and notes from the library.

 

“Great, awesome, well... I guess we’re good to head out right?” you reply, looking around at the group you’d be traveling with. Everyone nods in agreement, and Sidon goes to speak with the guards to pick the safest route since they have two Hylians traveling with them.

 

You looked out into the distance, up in the Zora upper lands where the dormant body of the Divine Beast was sat. “See you soon, Ruta…” you murmur under your breath, before moving to walk beside Zelda and Sidon as you head towards the Great Zora Bridge in a group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops that took me a while to update.
> 
> Also heyyyy stuff's getting serious between you and Sidon, finally


	16. Interrupted Travels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey up to the Divine Beast Vah Ruta is supposed to be peaceful... but the things that happen in your life just never seem to go that way

The trek through the land surrounding Zora’s Domain was a mostly peaceful one. The terrain was gorgeous, the mountains surrounding the domain were hues of purple and blue, with luminous stones sticking out in random clusters. The path was decorated with lamps the Zora built from luminous stone as a guide, and though the lamps were pretty, you were far more distracted looking out into the distance than just admiring the architecture.

 

You’d become friendly with the four zora guards who were tagging along as well. You learned their names were Bazz, Dunma, Tottika, and Rivan. Bazz was the captain of the guard for Zora’s Domain, and Rivan was actually someone who you knew from your childhood.

 

When you were far younger, before your training to become Zelda’s knight, the two of you were good friends and would play around when you visited the domain. He was a friend of the royal family, and since you were Mipha’s friend he then became your friend too. His friendship with them eventually tied into him becoming a guard, and you congratulated him on the accomplishment.

 

While on the way up Ruto Mountain the seven of you passed one of the big stone monuments that had carved writings into them- a history of the Zora, most of which were told from the point of view of King Dorephan. The one you passed happened to be about Prince Sidon, who quickly tried to divert your attention away from it.

 

“No no, please, we must read this and tell Princess Zelda and our Hylian Champion _allllll_ about it,” the captain Bazz says with a grin, and you’re able to see Sidon toss him a deathly glare out of the corner of your eye.

 

Bazz made a great show of dramatically clearing his throat as he readied himself to read the monument. You turned to see Sidon staring down at the ground, one of his hands covering his eyes as he puffed out a frustrated sigh. You felt a bit bad for him but had to admit that watching his friends tease him this way was a little funny.

 

“The History of the Zora!... Addendum Two; Prince Sidon’s Great Escape,” Bazz began, though he spoke in a grandiose and exaggerated voice that made the other three guards laugh, and both you and Zelda giggled as well, “There was once a giant Octorok in Hateno Bay, large as a mountain, which terrorized the village’s fishers. Hearing of their distress, Prince Sidon went forth to personally eliminate the offending Octorok.”

 

You were already interested in the story. An Octorok the size of a mountain? It seemed practically unheard of, you almost wanted to question Sidon on whether or not it was true. You glanced over at Zelda and saw that she was absolutely hooked on the story, and you could see why, Bazz was a very good storyteller.

 

“But this Octorok was a tricky beast, oh yes. After the prince dodged one of the stones it spat, it inhaled him _whole_ ,” Bazz paused for a dramatic effect and you could hear the princess quietly gasp beside you, “Such had been the fate of many strong warriors who went to slay the Octorok. Not a single one had come back alive. Just as it seemed Prince Sidon would be counted among them, the giant Octorok twisted in pain.

 

The tip of a silverscale spear pierced the Octorok’s stomach from within, revealing itself as the source of the beast’s agony. Incredibly, Prince Sidon had fought his way out by stabbing his spear over and over into the monster’s stomach. Unable to bear the pain, the Octorok coughed up the prince and scrambled to escape. Ever since, the fishers of Hateno Bay have passed down this heroic tale: The Prince who Slew the Fell Octorok.”

 

Bazz received applause from his captivated audience once he finished his dramatic reading of the stone monument, and he sassily bowed and took in the praise he got from you. “Ah yes. We all love that enthralling tale, now may we please move on,” Sidon sighed behind you, and when you turned to look at him you could see an embarrassed blush on his face.

 

The group agreed to move and you continued to move southwest of Ruto Mountain, letting Zelda lead the group since she was using the Sheikah Slate’s Map. After a while of walking, you stopped being so involved in the group’s conversations and merely listened instead. This also leads to you lagging behind a little and being in the back, walking beside Sidon who wasn’t taking part in the conversation either.

 

“So… why’d you wanna avoid the history lesson?” you asked him curiously since you could tell he was still a bit perturbed after the whole thing, and you’d hate it if he wasn’t happy like his usual self.

 

He frowned a little, his bright yellow eyes dancing around before they focused on you. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy the story. I know it’s a good story, though I don’t have the fondest memories of the experience. I dislike it because I feel as though… I didn’t do the best job. My original goal was to slay that Octorok, rid the people of the bay of it for forever, but I didn’t do that. Plus… getting eaten by an Octorok isn’t exactly the heroic act I wish to be remembered for,” he explained with a bit of a sour tone.

 

You purse your lips as you listen to him explain himself. “Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. While you may not be satisfied with your performance, you by no means did a bad job. You scared away a giant Octorok, one that all soldiers before you had failed to do the same with. All those fishermen in the bay are probably indebted to you, you saved their livelihoods and kept their home and place of work safe. Isn’t that something to be proud of?” you explain, giving him a meaningful look with a sincere smile gracing your lips, “besides, it gives you a cool story to tell. And a pretty cool scar too,” you giggle, pointing up at the faded scar on the side of his head.

 

You knew you’d been able to cheer him up a bit when you saw his familiar grin again. “Thank you, young one. I suppose that is one way to look at it,” he sighs happily, looking down at you with a cheerful glint in his eyes.

 

_‘There’s the Sidon I know and love-‘_

 

You were taken aback by that thought. You weren’t expecting yourself to associate the word ‘love’ with the prince. It felt foreign in your mind as you repeated it back to yourself. _‘Love? Why was that the word that came to mind?’_

 

Your smile had twisted into a bit of a frown as you thought of all this, and you barely noticed the look of concern Sidon was giving you while you mull over all of these thoughts. He raised a hand to try and place it on your shoulder, to offer you some moral support. He didn’t know what your plight was but he’d offer you any help he could.

 

Before his hand could make contact with you, a shock arrow went whizzing by, and the prince had to jump back to avoid it. Your wide eyes met the prince’s surprised ones and you immediately drew your sword. You could see ahead in the path Bazz instructed his fellow guards to get into formation around Zelda, keeping her protected as she was weaponless.

 

“Prince Sidon! It looks like a horde of Lizalfos is camped here… and they’ve spotted us,” Dunma called out, cringing at the sound of a horn being blown in the distance. You recognizing that horn all too well, it was the sign that monsters were near and you were being targeted.

 

You watched as Bazz quickly maneuvered, grabbing onto a spare spear the group had brought and tossing it through the air. Sidon caught it gracefully, his grip on the weapon firm and confident which clued you in on the fact that he was well versed in spearmanship, much like his sister was.

 

“You four, escort Princess Zelda up to the Divine Beast, she has the map and I have faith in her to lead you there. Avoid fighting these Lizalfos, they’re equipped with shock arrows meaning we’re all vulnerable,” Sidon instructed, a stern look in his eyes as he tried to form plans in his mind.

 

Three more shock arrows went whizzing above your heads, and all of you ducked closely to the ground while continuing to discuss this. You could feel Sidon tense up beside you, and now all you wanted was to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.

 

“What about you and _____?” Zelda quickly asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked back at you. She had the Shiekah Slate held in her hands tightly and you could practically feel the worry she was feeling for you right now. Ever since the calamity, she’s hated the thought of you being in danger.

 

“Zelda…. we’ll be fine. We’ll meet you five at Ruta, Sidon and I are both strong, we’ll be able to get there on our own,” you replied, giving her a smile to try and assure her.

 

She nodded her head, taking one last look back at you and the prince before being ushered off the path by the guards, following the Slate to find another way up to Vah Ruta.

 

You jumped when you felt a hand on your back, not realizing your nerves were so high already. “Calm down, young one, it’s just me,” Sidon spoke softly, though you could hear a waver in his voice that showed he himself wasn’t exactly calm at the moment, “I believe there’s a river nearby. Since you have the zora armor we can travel by water, and I have serious doubts that any Lizalfos here can match my speed when swimming.”

 

It seemed like a good enough plan in your mind. Avoid the Lizalfos ahead by swimming around, and once the coast was clear you could travel by land again. All you had to do was get to the river without being shot or speared.

 

You thought over it over in your mind and remembered something Sidon had told you about long ago- zoras are incredibly, _incredibly_ , vulnerable to anything electric. You turn to look Sidon dead-on and grab his arm. “You need to promise me that if _any_ arrow comes our way, we’ll do the best to avoid it- and if either of us gets hit with an arrow, it’s going to be _me_.” you told him, the most serious you’d ever been with him.

 

He looked back at you in shock and quickly shook his head. “_____, no, I cannot say that-”

 

“ _Sidon_ ,” you interrupt him, your voice shaky despite how stern you were trying to sound, “please. You’re a prince, you have a duty to your people, do not risk harm trying to protect me. I have Mipha’s Grace, if I get hit I’ll be fine, but if you get hurt I don’t know if I’ll be able to save you, I didn’t even bring elixirs with me.”

 

Neither of you speaks after this. All that can be heard is the distant sounds of Lizalfos hissing under the winds hitting the mountainside. Sidon swallows nervously before nodding his head slowly, still maintaining eye contact with you, “Alright, young one… I promise.”

 

You smile despite the anxious adrenaline you were feeling, and the two of you slowly get up from your crouched positions. As soon as Sidon stood at full height, the sound of a horn being blown could be clearly heard.

 

You grip on the Master Sword tightened, and you froze up when you felt Sidon take your free hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “The river should be this way,” he told you, his eyes looking around frantically.

 

You nod and suddenly the two of you are off, sprinting through grass and off the path, Sidon leading you and never letting go of your hand or loosening his grip. You can hear a few stray Lizalfos following behind, not close enough to make dangerous attacks, but close enough so that fast movement was still necessary.

 

Luckily, Sidon knew this land like the back of his hand, and within minutes you were at a river bed. You tied the small bag of supplies you’d brought along tightly, glad nothing inside would be damaged too badly in the water.

 

Sidon had let go of your hand, though you noticed he’d done so rather slowly. He leapt into the water with his spear, surfacing to look back at you expectantly. “Ready, young one? You’ll do marvelous, just like the last time we were in the water, I’m sure of it,” he told you, his familiar and encouraging grin gracing his lips.

 

Those words were all you needed to hear to sheath  your sword and get into the water after him, wading for a few small moments before prince met you halfway, helping you onto his back. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders carefully, and he gave your arm one pat to reassure you before speeding off in the water.

 

The feeling was exhilarating, just as it had felt weeks ago when the two of you worked together to appease Vah Ruta. You could barely hold back the laughs and cheers of excitement that passed through your lips, loving the feeling of the wind whipping past you and the water practically splitting just to let Sidon through.

 

The ride didn’t last long though, sadly. It was just to get away from those Lizalfos. Sidon had swam south towards where the Divine Beast was sat, and he’d swam up one waterfall to increase your elevation and make the trek up the mountain a bit simpler. He came to a stop at the edge of the river, panting but with a grin on his face afterwards.

 

“How exciting! I know I shouldn’t be happy about being caught in a dangerous scenario, but you must admit the adrenaline rush is a joy to experience, young one,” he sighed happily, and you rested your head on his with a smile on your face.

 

Very slowly, you slid off of his back and sat on the river bed instead, soaked in water but not really caring. Not a second after you’d sat down, however, you were once again interrupted in the middle of your travels.

 

A snorting sound could be heard, and you turned your head only to see a tall silver Moblin walking over with a dragon bone club in his hands. “Crud…” you muttered, quickly standing up and drawing your sword.

 

Sidon pulled himself out of the water to stand beside you as well, holding his spear out cautiously. “Shall we run once more? Or take on this enemy head on?” he asked you, and the time to make a decision lessened as the Moblin stomped towards you angrily.

 

“It’s just one moblin, how difficult could this be?” you reply with a shrug of your shoulders.

 

The answer was very difficult. Because of course, it wasn’t just one silver Moblin like you’d assumed.

 

It was three.

 

You and Sidon had tried to work together to fight them, standing back to back as you defend yourselves from these monsters. But when the third moblin swipes at you, you have to dodge out of the way quickly, meaning you’re now separated from the prince.

 

Your nerves spiked up, and for a moment you panicked. You had to remind yourself that Sidon was not only a prince, but a trained warrior and soldier. He could handle his own against dumb Moblins that simply flailed their clubs around.

 

You found yourself sparring with one of the moblins, and it was simple enough, all you had to do was time your strikes right and dodge his swings. After a few slices with your trusted sword, your enemy was down, and disappearing into a cloud of black smoke.

 

And then you turn on your heel, and feel your heart stop.

 

It skips a beat for one of the worst reasons you could think of.

 

Your heart stops because you turn just in time to see Sidon get slammed in the gut with two clubs at the same time from both Moblins he was facing- and be sent tumbling towards the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie wow, a new chapter already? Two chapters in two days, good job me.
> 
> Cough, did I forget to mention that this story might have teeny tiny bits of angst in it?
> 
> Oh I did forget to mention that?,,,, well then,,,, surpriseeeee~


	17. What Matters Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon's down for the count and injured, and you're not going to let that slide

You felt as though time slowed down around you. You scream Sidon’s name, stumbling as you rush forward to attack the two Moblins while their backs are still turned to you. You feel upset- no, that’s an understatement.

 

You are angry. Enraged, even.

 

You have adrenaline coursing through your veins and this anger only spurs you on even more as you spare no time in slicing through the Moblins, and they don’t even have a chance against you now. Within seconds you were done with them, they dissolved away and you were left panting angrily, your knuckles turning white with how tightly you were gripping the Master Sword.

 

A groan from the ground pulls you away from this fit of fury, however.

 

You turn and see Sidon on his side on the ground, scraped up with a massive blue bruise beginning to form on his torso.

 

“Crap, Sidon, I’m so sorry,” you panic, sheathing your sword and kneeling down next to him, looking over his wounds. You help him onto his back so you can examine his growing bruises, and you wince when you hear him suck in his breath, clearly in pain.

 

“There’s no need to apologize young one, this isn’t- this isn’t any fault of your own,” he manages out, and you cringe as he coughs up his own blood.

 

You can feel tears stinging at your eyes as you look down at him, but you couldn’t let your emotions get the better of you now. “You _promised_ me that you wouldn’t get hurt,” you say shakily. You weren’t actually blaming him, but you were upset and just needing _something_ to pin the blame on.

 

Sidon laughed, though you could see that even that was hard for him to do right now. “I promised I would avoid any and all shock arrows,” he replies cheekily, and you frown at his response.

 

“... This is my fault, I’m the one who decided to try and fight them instead of running away-”

 

“_____-”

 

“I should’ve gotten us out of that situation instead of letting my pride get the best of me-”

 

“_____.”

 

“You’re a prince, and I’m a trained knight, I should know a dangerous scenario when I see one, and-”

 

“ ______!_ ”

 

You almost gasp at how suddenly and loudly he says your name. You shut your mouth as you look at him, realizing he’d been trying to grab your attention.

 

“_____, I know you’re panicking and don’t know what to do. But I have a suggestion. Look down at your hands.” he tells you, looking you straight in the eyes as he does.

 

Your brow furrows at this, but you do as he says and you look down at your palms. Your eyes go wide when you see them glowing- a soft blue glow ebbing from each hand. You quickly recognize this light though, it’s the same blue glow that envelops you each and every time you use the healing powers Mipha gifted you with.

 

The pieces click together in your mind. “I… I can try healing you with Mipha’s Grace,” you realize, your wide eyes flicking up to look back at Sidon.

 

You hesitate, before slowly lowering both of your hands and placing them on his stomach. He tenses up beneath your touch, and you quickly take off the pressure, not wanting to hurt him. “I’m sorry… this might be a bit painful, I’ve never done this before,” you apologize, gingerly holding your hands right above his bruises instead.

 

“It’s alright, young one, just try and remember what my sister would do. I was too young to be able to remember how she used her powers, but it would shock me if she didn’t heal your wounds many of times,” he explains, giving you a weak smile, “just… do what she would do, I suppose.”

 

You nod your head, biting your lip nervously as you bring your hands down onto his stomach again. You try and pull memories of Mipha’s healing forward in your mind, imagining what she would do when she’d do.

 

You remembered when you were both young, no older than six, and you’d scraped your knee while playing around. You’d watched with teary eyes as a younger Mipha sat beside you in the grass and held her hands over your knee and magically sealed the wound. You remembered being so excited and happy afterward, and in your wonderment, you went around showing every adult your newly healed knee while praising Mipha at the same time.

 

You thought back to a conversation you’d had with Mipha when you were both a bit older. You’d asked her what she’d do when she performed her healing magic; if she thought of anything special or had any tricks to activate it. _“Oh, well there’s nothing especially interesting about my process,”_ she’d tell you, almost lost in thought as she explained it, _“I think about the things that matter most to me. It… well in a way, it gives me the energy to use my healing powers.”_

 

She thought of what was most important to her. Well… what’s most important to you?

 

Various things flashed through your mind. Hyrule was important to you, as was your role as it’s protector along with Zelda’s knight. Zelda was important to you, she was one of your dearest friends. Your friends from the past, the Champions, they were all important to you. You realize that the things that mattered most in your mind were your friends and family. Zelda, Mipha, Urbosa, Daruk, Revali, Impa, Sidon…

 

… Sidon.

 

In this specific moment, Sidon was what mattered most.

 

You thought about the time you first met the zora prince, working together to appease the Divine Beast, sending letters back and forth for weeks during your journey to defeat Ganon, visiting him the night before your final battle-

 

“_____?”

 

You're quickly pulled from your thoughts when you hear Sidon say your name.

 

You look down at him quizzically and quickly realize that your hands were glowing brighter than before. You keep them hovering above his stomach, focused, and a grin spreads on your face as his blue bruises began to fade, and the other little scrapes and scratches he’d been suffering from were closing up as well.

 

Within seconds the prince looked good as new, it was like you’d never battled any monsters in the first place.

 

You give him one final look over to make sure he was fine, and you sit back once you see he’s fully healed. The blue light in your palm fades away, and soon it’s just you and Sidon sitting in the grass.

 

“Young one, that was… astounding! Taking on those Moblin scoundrels once I was down and coming to my rescue, what an amazing performance!” Sidon exclaimed excitedly, his all too familiar grin beaming up at you once more.

 

You blush, giggling as you grab his hands and help him up to his feet. “There’s no need to praise me so much, we should be thanking your sister, she’s the one who gave me the powers,” you reply, shrugging your shoulders.

 

The two of you smile and laugh for a moment, before looking down and seeing that you’re still holding each other's hands. You drop your hands without meaning to, and wince when you see a small look of hurt in Sidon’s eyes. _‘Did he… want to keep holding hands?’_ you wonder, concerned that you might’ve hurt his feelings.

 

“Well,” he begins, clearing his throat politely, “I suppose we should keep our other promises and head up to the Divine Beast. I’m sure Zelda and the others have been awaiting our arrival for quite some time now. I’m also positive that the princess is going to love hearing about your new discovery of healing prowess,” he explains, sweeping down to pick up his dropped spear.

 

“Right, yea, we should um… get going. We should be able to traverse up the mountain if we head up this way, I think,” you reply, pointing opposite of the river and towards a worn down path in the mountainside.

 

“Sounds like a brilliant plan, young one,” Sidon replies with a beaming smile, politely gesturing for you to take the lead.

 

…

 

It takes roughly half an hour, but eventually, you and the prince are able to get up the mountain without a map and find where Vah Ruta is stationed. As soon as you get onto the plateau-like peak of the mountain you’re able to spot Zelda and the four zora guards stood at the base of the Divine Beast.

 

The Divine Beast itself is sat on its hind legs with its trunk curled up, the same position it’d been taking when it was aimed to shoot at Ganon. The only difference now is that there’s no longer a red laser beam coming from it, it’s just sitting up on this mountain, quiet and dormant without its lights on.

 

It was parked in a shallow lake, deep enough for the water to come up to about your ankles. From this vantage point, you can see Hyrule Castle far out in the distance, and if you turn you can see the beautiful architecture of Zora’s Domain.

 

You hear a splashing and look back to see Zelda sprinting full speed towards you. You don’t have time to react when she flings her arms around you and your sent stumbling, landing on your back as the princess hugs you.

 

“We were all so worried!” she exclaimed, squeezing you in her arms, “we got here so long ago- and neither of you has a map on hand- though that isn’t to say that I don’t trust Sidon’s knowledge of his homeland, but it took you so long to get up here- and why did it take you so long to get here?”

 

She’d said all of that within a matter of seconds, rambling quickly as she typically did when she was nervous or worried.

 

“Zelda, calm down, take a deep breath,” you say soothingly, pushing yourself so that your both sitting up in that water, “we’re alive. We didn’t get lost. We did…. however… get into a bit of an altercation with some Moblins.”

 

After getting up out of the water, you walk over to stand with the guards and regroup- both sides telling their stories of what happened after splitting up. Bazz explains that the five of them seemingly had no issue making it to the Divine Beast, the only things that gave them some trouble was avoiding those initial Lizalfos.

 

Then it’s time for you and Sidon to explain your own exciting tale. You take turns speaking, explaining how you ran and swam up the river to escape the Lizalfos, but once out of the river you get into a fight with a trio of silver Moblin. Sidon talks about how two of the Moblins teamed up on him and got him by surprise, and you tell them about how you used Mipha’s Grace to your advantage to heal his wounds.

 

“You were able to use Mipha’s healing powers on Sidon? But I thought they only worked on you, that’s how you’d been using them up until now, yes?” Zelda questions you curiously, and Sidon had been exactly right to guess that this would be her reaction.

 

“I thought the same thing, but turns out I was wrong. If I focus my energy, I think I can use Mipha’s Grace to heal others, not just myself,” you reply, flexing your fingers as you spoke.

 

“It might’ve been due to you being in a moment of crisis. When I still had access to the power of the Tri-Force that’s when I was able to use my sealing powers,” Zelda responds, tapping her chin as she thinks, “Nonetheless, I do want to look more into this later. Maybe run some experiments back in Zora’s Domain. For now, though, I do believe we have to get back to our main objective of the day.”

 

The princess gestures to the massive structure of the Divine Beast behind her and you nod your head. “Yeah… but how the hell are we getting in?” you ask, not speaking to anyone in particular.

 

Vah Ruta was at an angle now since it was sat on its back legs. You’d been able to board it before when it was on all fours and had a horizontal platform to enter on.

 

Fixing the Divine Beast was going to be a tad more physically complicated this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, whoop whoop. Am I bending the rules of the game a little bit to suit my needs? Mmmmm yea but it's called taking creative liberties lol. Reader now has healing powers.
> 
> SIDE NOTE:  
> I have another lovely Sidon story that you all can read! It's called 'Those Summer Nights', check out my profile to go read it. There's only one chapter so far, but I've got plenty planned for it


	18. Revisiting Ruta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a harrowing journey through the mountains of the upper Zora land, the troupe has finally arrived at Divine Beast Vah Ruta to investigate its issues.

After a few moments of discussion and planning, you’re ready and have a way to board the Divine Beast. Luckily, Dunma had brought rope with her, so you were going to somehow get up into the Divine Beast and then lower the rope to let the others inside.

 

While you were gathering up the rope, Zelda approached you holding the Sheikah Slate. “I think you should take this while we’re inside of Ruta, you know the inside of the Divine Beast better than the rest of us,” she says, holding it out for you to take.

 

You smile as you grasp the slate in your hands, hooking it onto your belt before turning your attention back to Ruta. Your eyes flicked around, trying to spot an entryway. There was an opening quite a few feet up, and if you could somehow land on the platform you could use the rope to bring everyone else up. 

 

“Alright, I’ve got an idea,” you announced, which made everyone turn to look at you, “When I appeased the Divine Beast Vah Medoh I spoke to the spirit of the Champion Revali. Like how Mipha gifted me her healing powers, Revali gifted me his ability to create updrafts. He called it Revali’s Gale. I can use my paraglider and create an updraft to soar up to that opening up there. I’ll see if the platform is wide enough and if it is we can use the rope for everyone else to get up there.”

 

The group agreed with you on the plan and soon stood away from you so that you’d have space to create the updraft. You unfurled your paraglider that you’d stowed away in your bag of items and focused momentarily, trying to tap into the powers that Revali had given you weeks ago. You let out a breath of air and crouched near the ground. Suddenly, you felt wind kick up around you and a grin made its way to your face.

 

You jumped up, opening the paraglider above you and within seconds you were soaring up into the air. An excited whoop passed your lips as you steadied yourself, gliding forward towards the Divine Beast. You land on the platform you’d spotted before, tucking the paraglider away and balancing on the titled incline.

 

Luckily, the tilt of the Divine Beast wasn’t as severe as you thought it would be. The group you were with would be able to easily walk around the first floor of Ruta, but traversing the two floors above that would likely be a bit trickier.

 

You turn and spot the pedestal you’d used the first time your boarded Ruta a few weeks ago, the one you could scan the Sheikah Slate with. You tie the rope around the pedestal, making sure the knot is good and tight before walking to the edge of the platform and tossing the other end of the rope off.

 

“It’s safe up here! Go ahead and climb up,” you yell, peeking over the edge to see the other six waiting for you.

 

“Brilliant, _____!” Sidon cheers, tugging on the end of the rope to test its strength, “we’ll be up in a few moments, just make sure the rope stays secure!”

 

You nod and give him a thumbs up, backing up to stand beside the pedestal and watch the rope. It takes a few moments, but eventually, the first person to join you on the platform is Zelda. You help her get on and find her balance, but the whole time she’s looking up at the Divine Beast with an excited smile on her face.

 

“I haven’t been inside one of the Divine Beast in well… a hundred years! And when I was on the Divine Beasts it was to help the Champions learn how to pilot them,” she explained to you with a smile, clapping her hands together as she peered inside.

 

The next person to climb up the rope was Dunma, followed closely by Tottika and Rivan. After that was Bazz, who had a bit more difficulty since he found it hard to grip onto the rope. The last person to climb the rope was, of course, Sidon, and you looked over the edge to watch as he climbed up.

 

“You know young one, it’s not exactly easy for a zora to do this. Our hands don’t behave the same way as a Hylian’s,” he says to you as he sidles up, and you giggle a bit watching him slide down the rope for a split second, “Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I’m also quite a… big zora as well, so it’s harder to pull up my own weight.”

 

You blush hearing him say that and shake your head. “You’re just tall, Sidon,” you reply, and he gives you a cheeky grin as he gets higher up.

 

Moments later he’s up on the platform, and you grab his hands to help him up. He stands up in front of you once he gets used to the incline, and smiles down at you. You grin back at him, and realize that the two of you are still holding hands- but this time you don’t pull away.

 

It takes a tap on your shoulder to remember that the two of you aren’t alone, however. You turn your head and see Zelda stood behind you, an expectant look on her face. “Are we going to investigate the Divine Beast? Or are you two… busy?”

 

You blush and finally pull your hands from his hold, unhooking the Sheikah Slate and tapping on its screen. It’d retained the map of the Divine Beast from your last visit, and you noticed a blinking red spot on one of the shoulders of Ruta. You tap the spot and all the slate tells you is to ‘scan the slate on the Main Control Unit for further information’.

 

“Main Control Unit? Where’s that?” Zelda asks, peering at the screen of the tablet as you looked over the map.

 

“It should be right here on the first floor,” you reply, walking past everyone to head inside. Remembering the layout from a few weeks ago, as soon as you enter the first floor you take a right and enter the circular hub that you’d fought one of Ganon’s forms in. You see the Main Control Unit, though no light was coming from it unlike before.

 

You walk towards it and move to touch the Sheikah Slate to its pedestal. Last time you did this, you had to fight Waterblight Ganon. But now it just made a new message pop up on the slate’s screen.

 

You read the message aloud as everyone else walked into the room. “Divine Beast Vah Ruta’s current status: low energy, malfunction. Three of four electric valves in proper working manner, one of four electric valves currently out of the circuit. Trunk is in proper working manner, tusks in proper working manner, all water ducts in proper working manner.”

 

“When it says electric valves does that mean the orbs on its back? The ones you had to shoot at so that the spewing water would stop,” Sidon suggested, pointing up as though to gesture to the orbs he was talking about.

 

Zelda immediately perked up and reached into the bag she’d brought with her, pulling out Mipha’s journal and flipping through the pages. “I know which orbs you’re talking about! Mipha noted them here, she mentioned how those four orbs are what powered most of the Divine Beast, it’s what allowed the Beast to have working water pressure as well. If one of them is disconnected from the circuit, that’s likely what’s causing Ruta to be so low on energy right now,” she explained, showing you the page she’d read it on.

 

“Makes sense, the map of the Divine Beast is showing me a blinking spot where one of the orbs is as well. I can head up there, check it out, I’ll see if I can fix the circuit on my own too. If I can’t fix it, we’ll at least know the source of the issue and work to solve it from there,” you reply, using the map to check which of the orbs it is- and noting that it’s on the front right shoulder of Ruta.

 

“Perfect,” Sidon grins, quite clearly approving of your plan, “just… be careful up there, yes?”

 

You laugh and nod your head, “always, Sidon. I’ll be right back in a bit to report, alright?”

 

You wave by to the group as you jog back to the platform. Once again you use Revali’s Gale to soar up above the Divine Beast now. You glide over it’s back and move to the orb that’s out of commission. Landing on its arched back, you're careful with where you put your feet as you walk over to inspect the valve- and very soon you see what the issue is.

 

With a small laugh, you take out the Sheikah Slate to photograph what’s causing the problem- a little bird has seemingly made it’s home on top of the circuitry that connected the valve to the rest of the Divine Beast. The nest it had made- which was an amalgamation of grass and bits of fabric it’d found around the land, was stopping the electricity for conducting properly.

 

“Sorry little guy, but you can’t stay here. You’re causing a disruption,” you say, crouching down as you speak to the bird. It just chirps at you in response. 

 

You move, slowly so you don’t scare the bird, and you scoop the nest into your hands. It’d been made nice and sturdy so it didn’t crumble in your hold, and you’re surprised that the bird doesn’t immediately fly away as you pick it up. As soon as you move the nest away the electric valve glows a dim green and the circuit reconnects, and then the rest of the Divine Beast’s lights being to glow blue. 

 

“Well. That was easy,” you murmur, looking down at your new bird friend, “who knew one little nest could cause all that to stop working, huh?” You examine the bird in your hands more closely, admiring it’s pretty light pink feathers. “Now I’ve got to figure out a way to get back down while carrying you… oh boy.”

 

You manage to find a way to slide down Ruta’s back carefully and jump down to land back on the platform. You balance the nest in your hands as you walk back to the room with the Main Control Unit and see everyone in their own conversations.

 

You clear your throat as you walk in and everyone turns to look at you. “Oh, _____, did you see what was the issue-” Zelda begins, but she stops in the middle of her sentence when she sees what’s in your hands, “Is… is that a bird? Why do you have a bird?”

 

You explain that the bird’s nest had been the source of the energy shortage, and you show the picture you’d taken with the Sheikah Slate as proof.

 

“The bird’s nest was stopping the flow of electricity? Interesting… so now the Divine Beast is back in working order?” Sidon asked curiously, leaning down to look at the bird with a smile.

 

“Eeyup, and if we check the Sheikah Slate,” you begin, using your free hand to unhook it from your belt and check the map, “there’s no more blinking red dot. So I guess our problem’s fixed?”

 

“That was… a much simpler solution than I was anticipating, to be quite honest,” Zelda murmured, patting the birds head lightly, “but we can all be happy that it was something quite complicated or detrimental to the Divine Beast’s inner workings. Now that it’s up and running again I would like to perform a sort of test run and make sure all its mechanics are working, but it’s getting late and the sun’s starting to set. So I suppose I can save those tests for another day…”

 

“We can come back tomorrow, or the day after if we want to rest tomorrow,” you tell the princess with a shrug of your shoulders, “after all, we’ve got nothing else planned. The only thing we intended on doing during this visit was fixing the Divine Beast, after all.”

 

A little smile plays on Zelda’s lips as she flicks her eyes up to you, “well, that’s not entirely true. I did have another idea of something to do while in Zora’s Domain, but that can be discussed once we’re safe and back in the palace. It’s a little initiative I want to discuss with King Dorephan.”

 

“ _ Initiative _ ?” both you and Sidon say at the same time. You glance over at him and laugh a bit, and he gives you a grin in return.

 

“You’ll both be a part of the conversation, don’t you worry,” she says with a sly smile, “Now then, shall we head back to Zora’s Domain?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo Zelda has an ideaaaaa


	19. The Princess' Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After fixing Vah Ruta and returning to Zora's Domain, the princess has some plans to discuss with King Dorephan. What ambitious project does Zelda have formulating in her mind?

You were quite happy when the journey back to Zora’s Domain was less eventful than the journey up to Vah Ruta. There were no Lizalfos with shock arrows or moblins with big clubs this time. Just a peaceful walk down the mountain as the sun began to set in the distance, casting an orange glow over the land.

 

Zelda had taken charge of watching over the little bird you’d found while at the Divine Beast. She carried it happily in her arms, petting it’s feathers as it cooed happily in response. She hadn’t thought of a name for the bird yet, but she told you that she’d think of one soon enough.

 

You noticed that, as you all walked back together in a group, both you and Sidon lagged in the back and walked beside each other. You were able to catch him glancing over at you many times, but he’d also catch you looking up at him as well, which made both blush and feel a bit awkward the whole way to the palace.

 

Eventually, though, you reached the Great Zora Bridge, and as soon as you stepped into the main entrance there were sudden excited shouts and the sound of feet running towards you.

 

You glance over and see the four Zora children from this morning- Tumbo, Keye, Finley, and Laruta- all running towards you from across the plaza. Tumbo is sprinting at full speed while carrying a box in his hands, and you have to catch him so he doesn’t trip over his feet and drop this box of his.

 

“_____!_____! We have your gift!” Finley exclaimed, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.

 

“It’s in the box! Open it, open it!” Laruta beamed, pointing at Tumbo.

 

Tumbo quickly lifted the box up for you to grab it. You took it into your hands and opened it curiously, noting that both Sidon and Zelda were peering over your shoulder to see what was inside as well. You pop open the top and smile softly when you what your gift is.

 

It’s a pie. Baked a bit crudely, no doubt the children made it on their own.

 

“We made you a fish pie! You gotta try it and let us know if you like it!” Finley cheered, bouncing up and down.

 

Gingerly, you used your hands to break off a piece of the pie. It certainly smelled good despite its appearance. You pop the bit of food into your mouth, and all four children are watching intently as you try it.

 

“Oh wow,” you gasp, eyes going wide, “this is good. Like _really_ good.”

 

You weren’t kidding either. You don’t know how the kids did it, but they made an amazing fish pie.

 

“Keye baked it!” Tumbo says, pointing at his little sister who was stood behind him and blushing, “she wants to be a cook- we used some rock salt from our family’s shop and Finley caught a staminoka bass in the river!”

 

You can tell the kids want to stay to talk to you more, but soon their parents are coming over to tell them all that it’s getting late. You wave at the four as they run off to their homes before turning to Sidon and Zelda. “That Keye kid has a talent. She can work on her presentation but this is some damn good fish pie,” you giggle, offering the box forward so they can each have a taste.

 

As the three of you snack on the pie, Bazz walks over to let you know he has to leave to finish up his duties as captain for the days, Tottika and Dunma leave to take their posts in the front of the Domain, and Rivan leaves to head home for the night.

 

“Well, I suppose we should head up to the throne room to speak with King Dorephan,” Zelda suggests, feeding a small bit of fish to the bird, which it happily ate up.

 

You nod and close the box, deciding to save the rest of the pie for later. The three of you walk side by side up the stairs and towards the throne room where King Dorephan happily greets you after your day away.

 

“Judging by the blue light from the Divine Beast I assume you found success in fixing Vah Ruta, yes?” he asked with a smile, and Zelda stepped up to explain what had occurred to him.

 

“_____ found this little guy blocking the circuitry on the back of the Divine Beast. After clearing away the nest, the power in the machinery returned back to normal,” she told him after talking about the Lizalfos and having to split up.

 

The king nodded as he listened, very intrigued by the story. “That little bird is what was causing all that trouble?” he replied with a laugh, chuckling as he sat back in his chair, “well, now that the Divine Beast is up and running once more, do you have any plans on what to do with it, princess?”

 

Zelda nodded with a smile, “yes, that’s just what I wanted to discuss with you. First, however, I need to find a place for this bird,” she continued with a little giggle.

 

“Yes yes, of course,” King Dorephan said, nodding his head thoughtfully, “I’m sure my son can help this new feathered friend of yours find a temporary home.”

 

Zelda smiled as she turned to look at you and Sidon. “Well, do you have any ideas on where to house this little guy?” she asked, targeting the question mostly towards the prince.

 

Sidon tapped his chin as he thought, before smiling and quickly nodding his head, “I think I’ve got the perfect place in mind! Follow me,” he grinned, turning and heading out of the throne room.

 

You glance over at Zelda and shrug your shoulder, letting Zelda walk ahead as the two of you follow behind the Zora prince. He heads to the lower levels of the palace and past the room that you recognize as his own chambers. Soon enough he pauses in front of a room that has the emblem of a bird embedded in the door.

 

You watch as he unlocks and enters into the room, and the first thing you hear is a chorus of chirps and coos. “Young one, do you remember how I told you about the birds that my family trains to be message carriers,” he asked from within the room, “well, this is the aviary we house our wonderful birds in.”

 

Your curiosity can’t be contained as you walk into the room with Zelda, and you gasp as you look around. The room is full of birds of all colors and sizes, some asleep in little nests and others perched up on pegs and various stands. You giggle as a bright lavender bird swoops down and lands on your shoulder, it’s feathers tickling your cheek.

 

“Oh, they’re all gorgeous,” Zelda grinned, setting the nest in her hands down on one of the shelves. The little bird in the nest hopped out and fluttered over to a feeder and started to happily eat up all the seeds and nuts that it could fit in its beak, chirping as it did.

 

“_____, I believe you may recognize this old friend,” Sidon said on the other side of the room. You lean over and look up to see him balancing a blue messenger bird on his elbow.

 

“Archimedo!” you smile, and the bird perks up at the sound of his name being said and he chirps, flying over to land on your other shoulder. You grin and pet some of his feathers and let him coo and brush his head against your own.

 

Sidon chuckles as he walks over, and at the same time a third bird, this one a seafoam green color, flies over and perches itself on top of your head. “Well, they’ve certainly taken a liking to you. That one on your shoulder is named Vivaria, and the one atop your head is Fefaro. I’m sure this little bird that you found will be able to rest here comfortably until we find a more permanent home.”

 

You hear the sound of happy laughter and turn to see Zelda sat on the floor, a multitude of birds sitting on her arms and head and legs. “I think they like me too,” she grins, tilting her head to the side so the two smaller birds atop her head could balance, “I’d love to stay and study all these sweet little birds but we do have to return to your father.”

 

You help get all the birds off of her, returning them to their nests and perches before leaving the aviary to go back up to the throne room. On the way up you’re curious- extremely curious. Normally Zelda would inform you of all her plans and ideas but this time she was telling you nothing. This clued you in on the fact that it had to be something big, however.

 

Once back in the throne room, you notice that Muzu had joined the king once more, and you give the elder Zora a smile to greet him. “Welcome back, princess,” King Dorephan said with a grin, “now then, I’m very excited to hear about what you’d like to discuss. I am at the edge of my seat, so to speak.”

 

Zelda nodded and cleared her throat momentarily, clasping her hands together as she readied herself to speak. “Well, as we all know, my mother passed away when I was very young. And my father passed away during the calamity, along with our champions and many other people in Hyrule. This means that I, as the Princess of Hyrule, will soon have to be crowned and become the Queen of Hyrule,” she began, “However, we are all well aware of the state that Hyrule is in still, even a hundred years after the Calamity. Particularly, the state of Hyrule Castle as well.

 

“For one hundred years it was left in a corrupted and crumbling state, housing Ganon as I held him in his place, along with hordes of monsters that had made their home there. It’s been cleared out now that Ganon’s been destroyed… but it is nowhere near habitable. Not even a shadow of its former glory. I plan on beginning a mass architectural project to rebuild the castle, along with Hyrule Castle Town south of it. Once that’s completed I want to extend the project to rebuild villages and towns all across Hyrule and begin to welcome back all those families who evacuated a century ago.

 

“This is an ambitious project, of course. There’s no telling how long this might take, but the first milestone for this project is to rebuild the center of Hyrule castle. From there my coronation can be held, and once I’m crowned Queen the building process will only continue. I was hoping that with help from all the races of Hyrule, meaning you, the Zora, the Goron of the North, the Gerudo of the South, and the Rito of the East, this project will go on to be successful. I want workers and architects from all corners of Hyrule to contribute and have a part in the rebuilding.”

 

You glanced over at Sidon once she was done explaining her grand idea. He nodded his thoughtfully, clearly enthralled by the plans she had put forward.

 

“I must say, princess, that is ambitious indeed- However! I have no qualms in supporting you as best I can in this effort,” King Dorephan decided, giving her a smile as he spoke, “I’ll give you as many architects as you may need, and I’m sure that the other races of Hyrule will have no issue in doing the same. You’re the pride of the land, after all. We’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

 

A smile reaches Zelda’s lips and she bows her head, holding back a bigger grin. “Thank you very much for this vote of confidence, King Dorephan. I plan on meeting with the three other leaders of Hyrule to discuss this further and put together a task force. I’ll likely borrow one of the messenger birds and send a letter to the Gerudo Desert, that’s where I plan on going next...”

 

The conversation went on like this for a few more minutes, with some suggestions from Muzu about who to hire from the Zora and how the rivers around Hyrule could be used to travel back and forth between Zora’s Domain and the castle, and Sidon would offer his enthusiastic input as well.

 

Not too long later you were sat on the steps of the throne room. The sun had set quite some time ago, and many of the Zora had left to go home for the night. Zelda had gone to the library to do some reading before heading to bed for the night, and she was borrowing the Sheikah Slate to take photos of some of the book passages to keep as notes.

 

You stretched your arms out as you leaned back, looking up at the night sky with its twinkling stars. You perked up though when you heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and you didn’t even have to turn to see who it was.

 

“Hey, princey,” you said jokingly, tilting your head to look back at him.

 

He smiled and shook his head, sitting down beside you on the steps, “How did you know it was me without turning around, young one?” he asked curiously, still towering over you even when sitting down.

 

“I have my ways,” you say with a grin, shrugging your shoulder a bit, “and question, why do you still call me young one? I’m old.”

 

“Not older than me, young one,” Sidon quickly shoots back.

 

You squint your eyes at him as you lean closer, staring him down despite being the shorter one, “I’m one hundred and eighteen years old. How old are you?”

 

He opens his mouth to reply, but quickly shuts it, and you grin knowing that you’d won this little fight.

 

“How old are you, Sidon? C’mon, tell me,” you egg him on, poking his arm childishly.

 

“Alright, alright, you little pestering champion, I’m one hundred and sixteen years of age,” he sighed as he answered, averting his eyes once he did.

 

“You’re a baby!!” you exclaim with a laugh, giggling as you see the blush spreading on his cheeks, “you can’t call me young one anymore, I’m older than you are.”

 

The two of you laughed it off, and once the giggles and chuckles had settled you found yourself leaning on his arm comfortably. You settled down as you rested against him and let yourself take in the moment- it was practically quiet enough to be able to hear his heartbeat.

 

“_____… I have a question,” Sidon begins, and you tilt your head slightly to look up at him as he speaks, “when you were in Hyrule Castle, about to fight Calamity Ganon, were you… were you scared?”

 

“... yeah… terrified,” you answer quietly.

 

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “What did you do to calm your nerves?”

 

You thought about it for a moment. “I… I thought about who I was fighting for. The Champions who died fighting for the same cause. Saving the princess, saving Hyrule… saving you…” you mumbled aloud, sort of trailing off as you lifted everything that had come to mind.

 

You saw Sidon’s eyes light up momentarily once you mentioned thinking about him while in Hyrule Castle. “Thinking of me helped to soothe your worries before such a big fight?” he asked, a small smile meeting his lips as his gaze softened.

 

“Yeah… yeah, I guess so,” you reply with a soft laugh, “you are an encouraging ally after all. Your words and faith in me give me confidence… and I just… well, I care about you…” you murmur, before blushing when you realize what you’d admitted, “well- I- I care about all of Hyrule of course! I’m a knight of the royal family, the protector of the land- I just- um- I meant that-”

 

Sidon chuckles, amused while he watches you stammer and try to explain yourself. He raises a hand to your face, cupping your cheek gently, and the feeling makes you immediately quiet down. Though his skin is made up of scales, they feel soft against your skin. You look up at him with curious eyes, neither of you saying a word while you just stare.

 

You don’t quite realize it, but after a moment you notice yourself instinctively lifting your head to be closer to his… and he mirrors that motion, moving down closer to you.

 

You can practically hear your heart thumping in your chest as your faces get nearer to one another's, close enough to feel the heat ebbing off of him and-

 

“Hey! Sidon, _____, I’ve got to talk to you about something!”

 

You both jump away from one another, wide-eyed as you turn to see Zelda running up the pathway towards you.

 

“After talking to the King about the reconstruction of the castle, some other ideas came to mind on how to rebuild the kingdom as a whole. It’s another big task to take on, but I’m sure that you and some others would be up to the challenge,” she says with a grin, hands on her hips and quite oblivious to the moment you and the prince were just having.

 

“Um, sure-” you mumble, coughing a little awkwardly as your cheeks practically burn, “what’s up, princess?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoopsie I was gone for more than a month,,,, hahaaaaaaa
> 
> sorry y'all
> 
> but hopefully, a cute moment with fish boy can make up for that :)
> 
> this semester's nearly done though, meaning more updates? possibly? hopefully?
> 
> we'll see lol


	20. The Zora Champion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has another idea she wants to tell you and Sidon about, but whatever could it be?

“Well, it’d probably be easier to explain in the library, I’ve gathered some documents and books for this, so please follow me,” she smiled, nodding her head and spinning on her heels and walking away from the stairs.

 

Sidon glances over at you curiously, clearly confused by what Zelda’s motive was. You merely shrug your shoulders, not exactly sure what the princess is planning either. But the two of you do get up from the stairs and follow behind her, blushing whenever you’d accidentally bump into one another and trying to keep the awkward tension unnoticeable.

 

You had no idea what would’ve happened if Zelda hadn’t shown up. It was almost like you’d been close to… kissing Sidon? No, that couldn’t have been right. You were just sitting close to one another. Besides, you had doubts that a literal _prince_ would want to be involved with you.

 

You were so lost in your own confused thoughts that you had almost passed by the library, not focused on where you were walking. You were stopped by Sidon, who had grabbed your hand so that you wouldn’t continue to walk down the hallway.

 

“The library’s right here, little one,” he chuckled softly, and you blushed when you heard the new nickname. ‘Little one’.

 

“That’s my new name since you can’t call me young one anymore?” you ask with a laugh, turning to face him as a grin spreads on your face.

 

“Yes, I suppose so, little one.”

 

You both laugh it off momentarily, and when the laughter dies down you both look down to see your hands still interlocked.

 

You each pull your hand away from one another, and you cough nervously, rubbing your arm to try and ease some tension in your mind. Your fingers brushed over metal, and you realized you were still wearing the band he’d gifted you on his arm. Your eyes flick over to his hand, and you smile when you spy that the earring you’d given him was still on his finger like a ring.

 

For some odd reason, seeing that made a feeling of warmth blossom in your chest. Before you could continue to dwell on those thoughts however, you heard Zelda’s voice ring out, calling the two of you into the library.

 

“Are you two going to come in, or are you just going to loiter about in the hall?” she asked with a laugh, peeking her head out through the doorway.

 

You stick your tongue out at her before dropping your arms to the side and walking in. Once inside the circular room, you look curiously at the desk in the center. The princess had laid out various books and papers and stacks of notes, and upon closer inspection, they were all referring to the Divine Beasts, both notes from a century ago and thousands of years back when the Sheikah first constructed them.  
  
Mipha’s journal was on the table as well, and it was flipped to the pages where she logged her experiences in trying to learn how to pilot Vah Ruta.

 

“Princess, may I what all of this is for?” Sidon asked curiously, walking over to the table and skimming over some of the pages.

 

“Well, it’s the other part of my plan in reviving and rebuilding Hyrule. The castle will be constructed, and so will many of the towns and villages scattered about the land. But, the kingdom needs protection. Ganon may be gone, but we never know when another foe may strike. I will, of course, hire a new royal guard once I’m crowned queen, but I’ve been bouncing around another idea as of late,” she began to explain, walking over to the table and picking up one of the papers laid out- a drawn picture of the exterior of Ruta.

 

“The Divine Beast Vah Ruta, created by the Sheikah long ago and given to a brave and formidable warrior to pilot and use to fight off the forces of Ganon. One hundred years ago when I was charged in selecting four Champions for each respective divine beast, I chose Princess Mipha to pilot Ruta. I chose her for her kind soul, her wit, her role in the kingdom, and her tactical skills when it came to battle. One of the brightest and best Zora of the time, who is of course dearly missed.

 

“A century later though, Vah Ruta has been reclaimed from Ganon’s corruption but lacks a pilot. In fact, each Divine Beast lacks a pilot. Rudania, Medoh, and Naboris. I believe that four new Champions can be selected and trained to be their new pilots, and be four pillars of protection for the land of Hyrule. I already have four people in mind, based on the stories _____ has told me about her journey and process of defeating Calamity Ganon. I will go to each person and discuss whether or not they’d like to take on the role, and once the castle is rebuilt I’d like to hold a ceremony for the Champions, just as we did one hundred years ago. Now then, you’re both smart and I’m sure you’ve figured out where I’m going with this whole speech of mine,” Zelda said with a little grin, making you and Sidon laugh.

 

The princess set down the paper she’d been holding up and pressed her palms together, looking over at the Zora in the room. “Prince Sidon. You are a courageous and valiant warrior. You’ve grown up with a love for your domain and your people and I can only imagine that this same love and care extends out to the rest of Hyrule. You and your sister before you both share the same kind soul, which you, of course, inherited from King Dorephan. You’re a skilled fighter, you’re smart, and the people of this domain look up to you as a leader and future king. I, as the princess and soon to be queen of Hyrule, offer you a role. Would you like to be the new pilot of Divine Beast Vah Ruta and take on the title of Zora Champion?”

 

You look over at Sidon and smirk when you see him looking down at Zelda, mouth agape with stars in his eyes. He quickly composes himself and clears his throat, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I- Well, this is quite a lot to take in, Zelda. It would be quite the undertaking, training and learning an entirely new set of skills, taking on both the role of a Divine Beast pilot and training in becoming the future king at the same time. I may have to think further on this, but don’t fret, as I do believe I will be taking you up on this offer. It would be… well, it would be an absolute honor to become a Champion, and especially to follow in my sister’s footsteps and pilot the same Divine Beast as she once did.”

 

You could see the beaming grin form on Zelda’s face as she looked up at him, and you chuckled a little, knowing she must’ve been thrilled to have him on board with the plan. “So, since you’ve picked pilots based on what I’ve told you, I’m going to assume I know who the other three candidates for champions are,” you start, drawing Zelda’s attention to you, “Chief Riju of the Gerudo for Naboris, Teba of the Rito for Medoh, and Yunobo of the Goron for Rudania. Right?”

 

“Spot on, _____,” Zelda smiled, nodding her head, “I plan on going to each of the other races and talking to each candidate. If they don’t wish to take on the role, I won’t hold a grudge. We’ll just have to work hard on finding other well deserving pilots.”

 

You thought about it for a moment before nodding your head in agreement. “I think Riju will definitely be up for the task. She’s currently the chief of the Gerudo, just like Urbosa was, she’s confident, and wants what’s best for her people. I don’t know if Teba will agree to this and Yunobo… well, he’s a bit more reserved but he is a direct descendant of Daruk, and inherited his protection ability. I think with a confidence boost and some training Yunobo could be a great pilot for Rudania.” you explain thoughtfully, going over each person and their respective personalities.

 

“Yes of course. Well, I believe we can stay here in Zora’s Domain for a few more days to get started on your training, Sidon,” Zelda said with a smile, turning back to the prince, “we can do a few test runs, get you accustomed to Divine Beast and some of its mechanics. And after that, I think we can go to Gerudo Desert. I’d like to talk to Riju next, both about piloting Naboris and reconstructing the castle.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” you grinned with a shrug of your shoulders, “I’d love to stay in the domain longer, so long as Sidon and his father will have us of course.” You glance over at the prince and quirk your lips up, giving him a cheeky little smile as soon as you mention him.

 

He immediately perks up and gives both you and the princess a beaming grin. “Why of course we’ll host you! Both you and Princess Zelda are welcome no matter what day of the year, we’ll have you here as a guest for however long you may need!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms apart in an excited manner.

 

“Brilliant!” Zelda cheered, “well, I suppose we can all retire to bed for the night. Here Sidon, these are your sister's notes about Ruta. I suggest reading through them so we can start on your training- oh, and we’ll tell your father about this in the morning, of course.”

 

The princess picked up Mipha’s journal from the table, shutting it and handing it over to Sidon who gratefully took it into his hands. You noticed that there were several pieces of marked paper sticking out of the book in various places, probably to mark pages that Zelda had deemed as important.

 

“Would you like me to guide the two of you to your room?” Sidon asked politely as he carefully held the journal in his hands, “it’s on the way to my own chamber after all, and it is getting late.”

 

“Of course, let me just put these books away, I’d hate to leave them all out for staff to have to clean up,” Zelda quickly replies, starting to pick up all the books and papers she’d pulled off of the shelves.

 

You and Sidon work to help her clean up- and at one point your hands brush past one another as you try and pick up the same book, causing you both to blush and drop the book on accident.

 

A few minutes later the three of you are walking down the hall together, idling chatting and all excited for what is to come in your lives. As soon as you get to the room, Zelda bids Sidon good night and walks inside, leaving the two of you to stand outside in the hall.

 

“Well- um, good night, Sidon,” you mumble a little shyly, clearing your throat as you look down at the floor.

 

You’re a bit confused when you don’t hear a response from him, and when you glance up you see him reached his hand forward to you.

 

“Sidon-”

 

Before you can finish your sentence, his hand touches your hair, and your blushing until he pulls his hand back and you see him holding a leaf between his fingers.

 

“Sorry little one, there was just this… leaf in your hair. I assume it’s been there since our little trip in the river,” he replied with a small laugh, “but, y-yes, I should be letting you retire to bed already. Good night, _____.”

 

You nod your head, still blushing a bit. “Y-yeah, night.”

 

Before an awkward tension can settle between you, you walk backward into the room and give him a smile before shutting the door.

 

Zelda had already slipped into a nightgown and was getting into bed once you turn around to look at her. “Well… things are seeming a little tense between you and the prince,” she says, throwing you a playful smirk as she begins to untangle her braids.

 

You roll your eyes at her as you start to undo your armor, “Whatever, princess. It’s nothing-” you begin, only to get cut off by a giggle from her.

 

“Ah yes, _nothing_. Sure.” she grins, still teasing you.

 

You huff and ignore her as you strip off the rest of your clothing until your left in the long blue tunic and your undergarments. You glance back and see that Zelda had already drifted off peacefully, so you strip off the tunic and slip into the same robe you’d worn the night before, deciding you’d bathe in the morning.

 

You shut the blinds and dim the lamps, setting the Master Sword down in a safe place before finally slipping into bed and getting comfortable beneath the covers. You struggle to fall asleep for a few minutes, your thoughts swimming and wandering to various places. But eventually you're able to drift, the fatigue after a day of adventure finally getting to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo, you don't know how BADLY I would've loved to see a post game where we get new champions for the Divine Beast (tbh I thought that's what the DLC was gonna be lol) 
> 
> so now I'm living these ideas of mine vicariously through this fanfiction
> 
> yus


	21. Trials Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon has agreed to become the new pilot for Vah Ruta, but what exactly will his training entail?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a hot minute since the last chapter, whoops. So have this, bit longer than the usual length uwu

Your dreams that night were plagued with horror. Visions of your fight with Calamity Ganon, the curse he’d laid upon the land, one involving Ganon defeating you a second time and laying waste to the land of Hyrule. You’d repeatedly wake up from each of these nightmares, hyperventilating and in a panic, finding it impossible to get any peaceful rest.

 

That next morning, however, after finally getting a few hours of sleep you were awoken by the sound of calm, running water. Groggy, and rather tired due to not getting the best sleep, you crawled out of the tangle of blankets and blink your eyes, adjusting to the sunlight streaming in through the windows despite the blinds being drawn. 

 

You sit up with a yawn and look around, confused when you didn’t see Zelda sleeping in the other bed. You pushed the covers off and scrambled over, your protective instincts kicking in when you assumed something must’ve happened in the middle of the night. Someone might’ve broken in and kidnapped her, she may have wandered off and gotten lost, or-

 

Your nerves settled once you spied a note left at the end of her bed. You quickly ran over and picked it up, recognizing the princess’ neat handwriting scrawled across the page.

 

 _Dear ______  
_  
_ Hope my absence doesn’t startle you too much once you’re awake. I woke up rather early and decided to go ahead and speak with King Dorephan and the rest of his council about further reconstruction plans, as well as Sidon’s training in becoming a pilot as well.

 

_I decided not to wake you and let you continue to rest. Once you are awake, let one of the servants know and we can have someone sent to escort you to where we’ll be meeting up. The head of the guard scoped out an alternate route we can use to walk to the Divine Beast; this way we won’t have to avoid that camp of Lizalfos._

 

_-Zelda_

 

_(Oh, I thought it might serve you to know that the guards and staff have started their own little gossip circles discussing certain rumors about you and the prince. Apparently, I’m not the only one who’s noticed the two of you becoming rather close.)_

 

With a sigh, you fold the parchment and toss it back onto the bed. You make your way around the beds and walk towards the door, stretching your arms out to release some tension that’d built up while you were asleep. Reaching for the handle, you slide the door open just barely and peer outside into the hallway.

 

You spy a young Zora woman walking down the hall, her scales a pale purple color with a sash around her torso. In an attempt to get her attention you clear your throat rather loudly, making her stop and spin to look at you.

 

“Oh! Good morning, Lady _____,” she quickly greeted you, bowing her head as a sign of respect.

 

You smile and wave your hand. “No need for formalities, I was wondering if you could do me a favor if you’re not too busy,” you reply, and she quickly nods her head as she waits for you to elaborate. “Please deliver a message to either Princess Zelda or Prince Sidon and let them know that in just a few minutes I’ll be ready for my, er… escort?”

 

She quickly gave you a bright smile and clapped her hands together, “of course, Hylian Champion! I’ll speak to them right away!”

 

Her cheery demeanor was a breath of fresh air compared to the stress you’d endured with your nightmares from hours before. You watched as she quickly walked away, no doubt heading to the upper floors of the palace to seek out Zelda and Sidon. 

 

You walk back into the bedchamber and shut the door behind you, puffing out a tired breath as you walk towards the pool of water in the room. “I guess a quick little bath wouldn’t hurt before getting dressed for our venture today,” you mumble to yourself, untying the robe and letting it slide off and fall into a pile of fabric on the tile floor.

You step forward into the pool, humming as you feel the cool water on your skin. Taking a few more steps, you’re now fully submerged, sinking down slightly so the water sits just above your lips, leaving enough room to breathe through your nose.

 

Leaning backward, you sit against the wall of the pool and rest your head on the edge, shutting your eyes as you let the water settle over you. Since the blinds were drawn the sunlight peering in was subtle, meaning the majority of the room was still bathed in the blue light given by the luminous stones embedded in the walls. The light had a calming effect on you, and you found yourself growing drowsy where you were comfortably sat.

 

 _‘A few minutes here won’t make me late… just… let me close my eyes for a little bit…’_ you thought in your mind, feeling a subtle weight beckon you to just lay back and rest.

 

Within a minute you’ve drifted off, falling asleep again without meaning to.

 

… 

 

“... __? _____ are you in there? I’m afraid I’m going to have to enter without permission if you don’t respond, little one.”

 

Your eyes flutter open and you panic as soon as you hear the sound of the door handle behind jostled slightly. “Ah! Sidon- I’m here, d-don’t come in!” you say aloud, face flushed when you realize your state of dress- or, more like _un_ dress.

 

“Oh, good to hear you, little one. Are you quite alright?” he asks through the door, the air of concern in his voice making you smile slightly. _‘It’s always so nice knowing he cares for me…’_ you think in your mind momentarily, before remembering the situation you were in once more.

 

“Yeah- yeah, I’m doing _great_! Just uhhh, gimme a minute- or two!” you call out as you climb out of the bathing water, cringing at the loud sounds of splashing water your movement causes.

 

You scamper around the room quickly, grabbing a plush towel to dry yourself off and pulling open the drawers to try and find some reasonable clothing you can quickly throw on. Every action you make causes a ruckus of noise, and you find yourself flustered as you try and pull your undergarments and a sea blue tunic on at the same time.

 

“... Little one? Don’t tell me you’ve been in the pool this whole time are weren’t even dressed yet,” Sidon says in a somewhat amused tone, and you can practically _feel_ the bemused smirk that he must’ve been making outside your room.

 

Huffing a frustrated breath of air, you furrow your brow as you pull on a similar pair of waterproof slacks to the ones you wore the day before. “N-no! How _dare_ you accuse me of such a thing- I would never, that’d be such… such an irresponsible thing of me to do, no- I could neverrrr-” you ramble in a sarcastic tone of voice, shoving your feet into your boots as you grab the Zora armor at the same time.

 

“Ah. I see. So if I were to enter this room right at this moment you’d be fully dressed and presentable and ready to leave the palace, yes?” he asks, and you can hear just from how prideful he sounds that he knows he’s right.

 

You pause, tugging the armor down onto your torso and purse your lips. You weren’t gonna back down from this, you were too stubborn, usually to your own detriment.

 

“... _Yesssssss_ …” you say slowly, securing the armor and turning around to the mirror to attempt and quickly make your hair look reasonable.

 

You hear a quick chuckle before Sidon says, “You don’t sound very sure, little one, but you’ve already secured your fate.” 

 

You hear the lock within the door click and it begins to slowly open, and very quickly you spruce your hair up and strap the Master Sword’s sheath around your chest, grabbing the sword in one hand and gripping your bag of supplies in the other.

 

As soon as you turn around your eyes meet a pair of bright yellow ones, and you stick your tongue out as soon as you see the cheeky grin on his face.

 

“Well.” you say, and move your hands as though you’re gesturing to yourself, “I’m ready. I’m all dressed up and ready to head out on our next grand venture,” you announce to him.

 

He raises a hand and taps his chin thoughtfully as he gives you a look over, making some blush lightly dust your cheeks. “Hmm… no, I don’t believe you’re ready.” he decides, making you scoff.

 

“And why do you think that?” you ask with a pout, sheathing the master sword and crossing your arms.

 

“Because,” he starts, walking into the room in long strides and picking something up off of your bed, “you’re not wearing this.” He waves the item around and it glints in the sunlight, shining somewhat. 

 

Your face pales somewhat when you realize he’s showing you the silver armband he’d gifted you all those weeks ago. “... Dammit,” you mutter, making him laugh.

 

You walk up to him and extend your hand, palm up, asking for the armband without using words. In response, Sidon gently grabs your wrist, making your eyes flick up to look at him in confusion. He takes the armband and fits it over your hand, and you’re both silent as he slides it up your arm gingerly before letting it rest on your bicep, atop the sleeves of the armor.

 

Once he was sure the band was snug and comfortable on your arm, his own eyes moved to meet yours and you each stared at one another for a fleeting moment, before he pulled his hands away and gave you an embarrassed smile.

 

“A-apologies if that was far too forward, little one, I didn’t quite think beforehand,” he quickly said, taking a few steps back to give you your own space.

 

You shook your head, a flustered blush creeping up on just about your entire face. “I-it’s fine. We should um. Probably head up and meet with Zelda, yeah?” you suggest, adjusted the weight of the bag on your shoulder and giving him a small smile to reassure him.

 

He nods and allows you to walk out of the room before him, shutting the door once you’re out into the hallway. You walk side by side in comfortable silence and at one point pass a pair of palace servants who giggle once they see you and turn to have a whispered conversation.

 

“Oh yeah,” you mutter, leaning over and looking up at Sidon, “Zelda did mention that there are apparently some… rumors being spread about the two of us.” 

 

You grin watching his eyes go wide and he frowns somewhat. “Do you want me to get them to stop, little one? I can talk to the palace staff about it-” he begins, but you quickly shake your head.

 

“No no, it’s okay, really. I think it’s kinda… cute,” you laugh, watching as his eyes flick down to you and a subtle blush dusts his cheeks.

 

After another minute of walking the two of you are walking up the steps into the throne room, and are quickly greeted by a very excited princess. 

 

“_____, Sidon! I have some _very_ good news in regard to the Divine Beast and Sidon becoming its pilot,” she said with a wide grin once you got to the top of the staircase, “in Mipha’s journal she noted that she did a trio of trials in order for Ruta itself to grant her access and trust her, in a way. I’ve heard word of certain occurrences popping up around Zora’s Domain that bare a striking resemblance to what Mipha described in her writing. _And_ -”

 

Before she continued on, she lifted up the Sheikah Slate and selected a yellow point on the map, showing something marked higher up in the mountains surrounding Zora’s Domain, “the slate is showing me four glowing points on the map that look just like this one. I have a feeling that we’ll be using these in our quest to train four new pilots. So I think it’d be best if we sought out this marked point, examined it, and then we can go onto to assess the areas that are showing signs of being new trials.”

 

At the end of her ramble she beamed up at both you and the prince, clearly ecstatic about the development. “Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s just follow the map and scope out the area,” you decided with a shrug of your shoulders, turning to look up into the mountains where the slate was saying to go- and you could swear you were able to see a faint orange glow in the distance.

 

…

 

After a quick trek up into the mountains you, Sidon, Zelda, and two guards, Tottika and Dunma, were walking on a grassy plain high up above the sea. You could sense Zelda’s excitement growing once you were able to see a pedestal covered in Sheikah symbols with an orange light ahead of you.

 

However, you stopped in your tracks when you heard… accordion music?

 

“... Kass?” you asked aloud, your speed picking up as you approached the pedestal even quicker. Sure enough, the familiar Rito stood beside the pedestal, playing away on his instrument of choice. 

 

As soon as the group got closer to the pedestal, you heard the Sheikah Slate buzz in Zelda’s hand and in response the light of the pedestal turned to blue. In a flash of light, three images appeared on each column of the pedestal, appearing to show different locations around the Lanaryu region and Zora’s Domain.

 

“Did that stone monument just start glowing?” you heard a voice ask, and turned to look over at Kass who’d stopped playing and was gazing upon the monument.

 

He quickly took notice of the five of you and gasped with a smile. “_____- and princess Zelda, oh my, what brings you all here?”

 

You quickly explain that the pedestal is what you’re here for and he nods thoughtfully. “Oh yes, one of the monuments mentioned in my teacher’s unfinished song.”

 

“Song?” Zelda quickly asked in a curious tone, walking closer to the blue Rito.

 

He nods and turns to look at the Divine Beast perched on a neighboring mountain. “Yes, a song about the Champions of one hundred years ago. How glorious it would be to sing this song in the very land it describes… the song my teacher left behind, it includes a verse about the trials that Lady Mipha overcame.”

 

You felt Sidon tense up beside you at the mention of his sister, and you gently placed a hand on his arm to ease him slightly, which earned you a warm smile in return.

 

“Allow me to sing it for you,” Kass began with a smile, stretching his feathers and taking hold of his trusted instrument. He begins the song, playing a few notes of what sounds like a light and happy tune, before adding in lyrics as it goes along, “ _Reaching skyward from waters blue, Ruta’s Champion a heart true. The hero’s power shall grow, seek trials monuments show. One, **f**_ ** _ind what the light’s path show._** _Two,_ **_conquer the ancient foes._** _Three,_ **_chase rings of the waterfall._** _Champion, the trials call!_ ”

 

Zelda quickly clapped her hands together once he was done performing and you did the same, making the Rito beam as he turned back to look at you. 

 

“So, did it move you? By asking around about the Champions of each region, I’m starting to piece together the key verses of the song. I can feel it… my teacher surely sang this very verse from this very spot… I wish nothing more than to carry on my teacher’s dream to complete and perform this special song. To do so, I must learn all there is to know about the Champion’s of old,” Kass explained.

 

“Ah, I’m sure his father can assist in telling you all you may need to know about Lady Mipha,” Zelda said with a smile, stepping off of the pedestal. While Kass was explaining the song she’d gone and taken pictures of each map point on the monument with the Sheikah Slate, “now then, there’s no doubt in my mind that each of these places coincides with the trials described in both Mipha’s note and Kass’s song. I believe we should go to the farthest one first, it’s one of the Easternmost points of Hyrule, right on the coast of the Lanaryu sea.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” you grinned, looking over at Sidon who was making the same beaming smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo the next arc of this story will be a bit of a mish mash of the Campion's Ballad DLC, certain parts thrown in, certain parts taken out. I think it'll be very fun to write, plus I recently replayed the DLC, so each trial is fresh in my mind.


	22. The Light's Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You set out to complete the first trial in Sidon's training, no one knowing what might happen by the Lanaryu Sea

You decided as a group that you’d travel by horse to the Lanaryu sea. Returning to Zora’s Domain, you and Zelda were handed back your horses which had been in the care of the palace staff. Persephone greeted you happily, letting out an excited whinny upon seeing you- and Storm greeted Zelda in a similar fashion.

 

Sidon decided on riding a steed named Morellus, a handsome horse with a shimmery brown coat, decorated in a bridle and saddle of silver similar to what the Zora wore. Tottika and Dunma were instructed to remain in Zora’s Domain, you decided that traveling as a trio would be faster and that you could protect yourselves well enough anyways.

 

Soon enough you were off, riding horseback east. You traveled down the mountains and across the plains, and after a few hours, a group of islands just off the coast came into view. “The point on the map is right on the coast and close to Ankel Island and Knuckel Island,” Zelda explained, leading both you and Sidon since she had the slate map in her hands.

 

As the three of you got closer you were able to see plumes of smoke, presumably from a campfire, on the cliffs. “Ah yes, the Council informed us that they’d sent Zora out ahead of time to keep watch over each location where the trials had taken place one hundred years ago,” Sidon said thoughtfully, his horse trotting besides your own, “I suppose this further proves Zelda’s theory that each marked point on the map is a trial like those my sister faced during her own training.”

 

Once you approached the campfire, you were a little surprised to see a familiar face looking out at the vast ocean. “Muzu!” you called out happily, tugging on Persephone’s reigns to bring her to a halt and hopping off to great the elder Zora.

 

“Ah! _____, Zelda, Sidon, good to see you’ve finally made it. We are here at the behest of King Dorephan and the council who tasked us with keeping watch on this area.,” he began, gesturing to a Zora guard who waved as a greeting, “this is the land where Princess Mipha completed her sacred trial. Now, the signs that appeared one hundred years ago have returned.”

 

“Mipha’s notes had a phrase which I’m fairly certain are in regards to this specific trial,” Zelda announced, pulling the journal from a bag of supplies on the side of Storm’s saddle. She flipped it open, skimming through a few pages before her eyes lit up and she read the words aloud with a smile “she notes a trial besides four eastern islands.  _ ‘While the morning sun is newly born, follow the path of light to the trial.’ _ ”

 

You hummed as you listened to this before remembering something from earlier that day. “Didn’t Kass’ song mention something about a path of light?  _ ‘Find what the light’s path shows’ _ .”

 

“Well then, I can only assume we must wait until morning to complete this trial as written down in Mipha’s notes,” Sidon decided, finding a nearby tree to tie Morellus’ reigns to. 

 

“Well, we’ve got a campfire, I’ve brought food along, and,” you pause, raising a hand over your eyes to gaze up at the sun; already setting in the western sky, “it’ll be nightfall soon. Guess we’ll just be camping out overnight.”

 

“What?!” Muzu immediately protested with a shake of his head, “I cannot have the Princess of Hyrule camping out in the wilderness unprotected! We have no tents, no barricade to stop any monsters who may show up overnight-”

 

“Muzu, I assure you it’s fine,” Zelda said with a smile, setting a hand on his shoulder to try and calm the rambling Zora.

 

“Actually,” you interrupt, taking the Sheikah Slate off of Zelda’s belt and looking over the map, “there is a stable down the road farther north. Just to ensure the protection of our royalty you can all spend the night there in the inn and I’ll stay camped here in case something happens in the very early morning.”

 

You could immediately see by the concerned look on Sidon’s face that he wouldn’t agree to leaving you out here on your own for the night. “_____, I will not allow that,” he began, walking towards you, “if anything were to happen you’d be left here,  _ alone _ , to fend for yourself.”

 

You smile and shake your head, lifting a hand and placing it on the prince’s arm reassuringly, “Sidon. You forget I traveled for three weeks on my own just before facing Ganon. I think I can handle one night,” you say with a little laugh, and watch the look on his face soften as he thinks back to your travels.

 

After some more discussion, and a small amount of bickering, it was decided. You’d stay here overnight while Sidon, Zelda, Muzu, and the guard would spend the night in the stable’s inn. They’d return in the morning, and you’d be here to keep watch in case anything were to happen before they were here to commence the trial.

 

The four of them got ready to ride towards the saddle, but Sidon lagged behind momentarily after he untied Morellus’ reigns. He looked over at you, and you could see the hesitation in his face. 

 

He turned towards the other three and quickly said: “I’ll catch up with you all, just give me a quick moment to speak with _____.”

 

Muzu sighed but had a smile on his face and a knowing look in his eyes. Once they set off on their horses the prince turned back to you, not quite able to make eye contact and seemingly with many thoughts flying through his head.

 

“Hey,” you say in a soft tone, leaning up and place a hand on his cheek and offering him a smile, “I’ll be fine, you know that. I’m strong, and it’s just one night. Besides, I’ve got Perse to keep me company,” and as though she knows she’s being spoken about, Persephone lets out a loud whinny.

 

Sidon laughs softly at this and lifts his own hand, placing it atop yours and holding it against his cheek. You’re both silent, just gazing into each other’s eyes. You stay like this for a few more sweet moments before you tilt your head, “you know you’ve got to go with them, yeah?”

 

He nods dejectedly and slowly lowers his hand, allowing you to pull your own back. “I shall see you tomorrow, little one. Good luck, stay safe, and…” he trails off, as though he’s trying to carefully pick his words but still not knowing quite what to say. 

 

You both say your goodbyes and after a tight hug, he’s off, and you watch as he rides away on his horse with a sad smile gracing your features.

 

A sudden huff and loud neigh pull you out of your thoughts, and you turn to see Persephone staring you down. “What’re you looking at?” you ask, crossing your arms and raising an eyebrow at the equine. 

 

She shakes her head and bristles at you, pawing at the ground with one of her hooves. “No, I am not denying my feelings for the prince, so you can cut the attitude, missy,” you reply in an annoyed tone, making her stamp on the grass.

 

You sigh and hang your head back. “What am I doing? Why am I talking to my horse like she understands what I’m saying?” you ask yourself, running a hand through your hair in frustration.

 

You untied the bags of supplies from Persephone’s saddle and dug through them momentarily, pulling out two apples and showing them to her. She whinnied happily and moved to lay down in the grass, and you set the fruits down in front of her to let her eat.

 

While she ate you moved to sit closer to the fire, facing the island along the coast and looking out over the ocean. As the sun set deeper in the sky you let the flames from the campfire keep you warm as you ate some crab cakes you’d nabbed from the palace’s kitchen earlier that day. 

 

It didn’t take much longer for the sun to set completely and the sky above you became deep indigo as it did. The light from the campfire bathed the grassy area in a faint glow as you laid down on the ground, using one of your bags as a makeshift pillow behind your head.

 

It was mostly silent, save for the sound of crickets and other bugs in their natural habitat and Persephone’s even breathing as she slept beside the tree. The night so far had been rather uneventful. No travelers, no monsters, nothing. Just you and Persephone and the view and… your thoughts. 

 

You’d been thinking a lot since you didn’t have much else to do out here. Your thoughts surrounded various things but mostly they revolved around… Sidon.

 

You couldn’t get him out of your head. It was impossible. No matter what your train of thought always just came back to him. That big... stupid grin he’d always give you and his bright… stupid golden eyes that always lit up the room.

 

You were almost  _ mad  _ at him for making him think about you so much but… you could never actually be mad at him like that, especially when he’d done nothing to deserve it. It was just your emotions doing dumb emotional things, or at least that’s how you were seeing it.

 

“... stupid feelings,” you grumbled, crossing your arms and fixing your gaze up above you. Your eyes danced across all the stars, watching as they twinkled and lit up the sky alongside the moon. Despite your conflicted thoughts and scrambled emotions you eventually lulled yourself to sleep, drifting off peacefully with the sound of the fire crackling nearby. 

 

… 

 

You were awoken suddenly hours later in the dead of night. You had no clue what time it was, but somehow the campfire had gone out and you were left shivering in the grass. You sat up, curling up and crossing your arms in an attempt to conserve heat.

 

You reached out, hands shaking as you reach for your quiver of arrows.  _ ‘If I use a fire arrow maybe I can re-light the fire,’  _ you think, grabbing ahold of one of said arrows- it’s ruby red tip glimmering subtly in the moonlight. 

 

As soon as you try and look for your bow in one of the supply bags you hear a faint sound. You perk up, squinting your eyes to try and find the source.

 

It’s a distant galloping sound. A horse.  _ ‘What horse is awake at this time of night?’ _ you wonder, glancing over at Persephone who’s still sleeping soundly, seemingly unbothered by the sudden cold. 

 

Your answer is very quickly answered, however, for soon you see the horse coming closer along the path with a traveler upon it’s back. But not just any traveler. A tall, strikingly red, Zora traveler.

 

_ ‘... Sidon?’  _ you realize, unable to stop the grin that made its way to your lips. 

 

Within a minute he brings his steed to a halt and hops out of the saddle to greet you. “I thought we agreed that I’d be fine out here on my own,” you quickly say, crossing your arms and giving him an accusatory look, but the smile on your face let him know that you weren’t seriously upset with him. 

 

“Well, little one, I became aware that it was a rather chilly night, especially here by the cliffs. I assumed you wouldn’t mind if I brought you some fabrics from the stable to use as some blankets. Besides, I can see you shaking, and I could not live with myself if I knew we’d left you out here in the cold,” he explained, unhooking the bag tied to Morellus’ saddle and opening it to reveal stacks of folded quilts and silks.

 

With the prince’s help, you managed to find some nearby sticks and use them alongside the fabrics to set up a makeshift tent, just barely big enough for two people. Morellus laid down in the grass beside Persephone to fall asleep. You relit the fire using one of your arrows and sighed happily as you feel it’s warmth fill the area, combatting the cold wind.

 

You grab one more quilt from the bag, this one being a pale yellow color and wrap it around you before retreating into the tent, curling up inside of it. You peer outside the tent and watch as Sidon ties his horse’s reins to the same tree where Persephone’s are tied. He grabs a much bigger blanket from his bag of fabrics, a deep blue one, and wrap it around his shoulders.

 

“C’mon, princey,” you call out, patting the ground beside you to welcome him into the tent.

 

He shakes his head and you can practically see him hesitate to accept the offer, “No no, little one, I hardly believe there would be enough space for the two of us inside of there. I’m practically twice your size,” he replies.

 

You blush at the insinuation of him being physically bigger than you and huff. “Sidon, I’m not letting you sleep out there when we’ve got a perfectly good tent right here. C’mon, I’m sure we could both squeeze in here,” you retort, curling up on your side to make more space for him.

 

He opens his mouth but quickly closes it again, giving you an exasperated smile. “I know there’s no point in arguing with you, little one, so I’ll give in.  _ Just this once _ ,” he says, shooting you a cheeky look. 

 

“I dunno, Sidon, I think you’ll find that I can be very persuasive when I want to be,” you laugh, playfully sticking your tongue out at him.

 

He chuckles softly, taking off his sash, armbands, and other accessories, storing them away in the bag he’d brought with him, before finally getting inside of the tent alongside you. It takes a few moments of moving around and adjustments, but eventually, you’re both fit snugly inside. To accomplish this you had to lie down on your side, facing away from him, slightly curled up. At the same time, Sidon had laid down behind you, facing you so that your back was to his chest.

 

The closeness made you blush quite a bit, you were just hoping he wouldn’t be able to see that or hear the way your heart was pounding in your chest.

 

“Little one, is this quite alright? You are comfortable, yes?” he asks, oblivious to how flustered you were. When he spoke it made his warm breath hit the back of your neck, causing you to involuntarily shiver. 

 

“Y-yeah, this is fine,” you immediately reply, maybe a little too quickly. You clear your throat nervously and wrap the blanket around you tighter, “let’s just get some shut-eye, yea? Gotta be up bright and early for that morning sun, after all.”

 

You feel him nod behind you and shift to get a little more comfortable. “Well alright. Goodnight, little one,” he murmurs in a sweet tone and it makes the corner of your lips quirk up into a smile.

 

“Night, Sidon… sweet dreams,” you mumble, shutting your eyes and trying to force your nerves to calm down so you can get some sleep.

 

… 

 

Hours later, you’re waking up naturally, sniffling and attempting to blink the sleep out of your eyes. Apparently, you’d shifted around in your sleep because as soon as you could successfully open your eyes the first thing you could see was… Sidon.

 

You tensed up as you gazed up, the prince’s sleeping face right in front of you. Very slowly, as to not wake him up, you slide out of the tent. You unwrap the blanket from around you and fold it into a cube, setting it down in the tent beside Sidon.

 

You stretch your arms up and crack your knuckles, sighing as you took in the area. The campfire was still lit, though the only effect it was having was offering you warmth. Everything was lit in a soft orange hue, and when you turned around you could see why. 

 

Facing the ocean, you see the sun coming up over the horizon. It looked absolutely breathtaking, casting a glow on the sea. The water of the Lanaryu Sea reflected the light of the sun with a shimmer, almost making a sort of… path.

 

A path?

 

_ The light’s path. _

 

You gasp and your eyes follow the path over the water, squinting when you see something faint, blue, and glowing far down below.

 

_ ‘... I think that’s where the first trial begins,’  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayeee longer than normal chapter again


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